All I Want For Christmas
by I-Dont-Like-I-Obsess
Summary: For being Summer's first Christmas with the Heart Pirates, it doesn't exactly go to plan. From shady store owners to midnight festivals on rooftops, her holiday will be more than just a little strange. It doesn't help that she has to get her teasing Captain a gift...What are you supposed to get the Surgeon of Death for Christmas anyways? Law X OC. A Christmas Short!
1. Taking Names

A/N- I've waited for over a month to post this story and it's finally here! Hope you guys enjoy!

Onwards!

* * *

"No, the tree's gotta be over there! Don't you know anything about decorating? Baka!" Reid smacked Parker over the head, crossing his arms in frustration. Parker rubbed the back of his head with one hand, steadying the fir tree with the other. Shachi kept pulling at it anyway, making it lean back and forth.

"What was that for?" He asked heatedly, but Reid only shook his head.

"We have to get everything perfect for Summer-chan!" He ran over to where Penguin was hanging up silver thistle along the walls. "No, pull that end more to the left, see? You don't want the two ends to overlap." The engineer glared at Reid before doing as he said. When it came to decorating, Reid was certainly a diva, and the crew wasn't exactly happy about it.

"Are you sure we have to have a partridge in it? That seems a little extreme…" His comment was quickly followed by an exasperated 'Baka!' from Reid, along with another smack to the head.

They were excited to celebrate their first Christmas with Summer onboard the sub. The whole crew was anticipating the holiday. Since they often were sailing the seas, they didn't get to have celebrations often, excluding drinking parties where everyone got drunk. Those were a given.

This year, the island they'd landed on coincided perfectly with the holiday, as the log pose wouldn't set for a good week or two, and the pirates were eager to use the time being stuck at the island to celebrate with full vigor.

Law agreed to give everyone an allowance to spend on gifts for each other. It was a tradition: Law would divide a fraction of the treasure in the vault amongst the crew for gifts.

Spirits were high, and plans were made. The only one without any clue as to what to do was Summer herself.

 _'_ _I wonder how into Christmas the crew gets…'_ She thought, worried that whatever she decided to do, it would either be too ridiculous or not fun enough for the pirates. She stared up at her ceiling from her bed, arms and legs spread out on the comforter. She had several ideas. Most of them involved buying sake for the men, but she expected that to be the most common thing amongst them…As it was the first year celebrating together with them, she wanted it to be something special.

She'd seen them decorating the halls and mess deck, and even their individual doors with holiday decorations, but decorating and celebrating were two different things…right? Who knew if they even wanted a party?

There was a small knock on her door, and she got up to answer. Opening the door, she saw Blake standing there with a box in his hands.

"Hey, Summer-chan! Sorry if I woke you up." She waved it off.

"I wasn't sleeping. What's that?" She indicated the box, and he shook it a little, holding it out to her.

"It's full of slips of paper with everyone's names on them. You randomly pick three and those are the people you buy gifts for you, just so everybody gets a present. There's three of each name, so if you get a duplicate just put it back and grab another." Nodding, Summer stuck her hand into the box, wading through the various papers until she found one. Grabbing it, she took it out and looked at the name.

 _Reid._

She glanced at Blake. "Am I supposed to tell you who it is?" He chuckled, shaking his head.

"No, you don't tell anyone who you got. That way it's all a big surprise. Oh, and you're not allowed to tell anyone what present you got somebody else. That's the rules. If you break 'em, Santa will bring you coal!" Smirking, she grabbed two more papers from the box, reading the respective names.

 _Penguin._ She grinned. Of course she would pick the perverted engineer. She would have a lot of fun with that…

 _Law._

Her eyebrow twitched, and she stood there staring at the paper, as if her willpower alone could change the name that was written. What the hell was she supposed to get that bastard? He probably just stole whatever it was he ever wanted, so what could she possibly get him?

"Make sure you get a present for each of them. Nobody likes being left out!" Blake said cheerfully, heading back down the hall to another room. Closing her door gently, she looked at all the papers in her hand.

Penguin would be an easy one. She could probably just get him some women's clothing magazine and call it good. She chuckled to herself. No, that wouldn't mean so much to him. It had to be something personal and meaningful.

Reid was next, and his was a little trickier. She knew he liked fixing things, and hot chocolate. It was his favorite drink. With a shrug, she put it away. She would decide what to get him later.

Finally, and begrudgingly, she looked to Law's paper. Just looking at the name had her stumped. She tallied up everything she knew about the Supernova.

He was a doctor. Medical books would be one option, if he didn't already have thousands stuffed away in those bookshelves of his. He liked coffee, the man was basically addicted to the stuff. Often times Casper would have her send him his morning cup when he was busy with breakfast. Summer noticed that most days the coffee machine would go through two or three pots, all before one or two pm.

Nothing else came to mind, and with a deep sigh, she opened her nightstand drawer and stuffed the papers inside. Tomorrow she would go into town and look around for gifts. In the meantime, Casper was probably wondering where she was. It was almost time for the lunch rush.

* * *

Law opened his door, answering the knock, and came face to face with Blake.

"You're one of the last ones, Captain." The man said, and Law nodded. Pulling out the first three papers he touched, he retracted his hand and Blake walked off. Closing the door behind him, he then glanced at the names for the first time.

 _Casper._

 _Bepo._

 _Summer._

Hmm. Casper would be relatively simple, as he'd been pining for several items of kitchen equipment for quite some time. Bepo wanted to meet a female bear, but that wasn't really something he could give him. Perhaps he'd like a bunch of those exotic fish he'd never tried before down the dock?

Summer…well, that was an easy one. He approached his nightstand, pulling open the bottom drawer and taking out what was inside. Idly, he inspected his old hat for damage, but it seemed to be in good condition. It felt strange not having it on his own head, but he'd long gotten used to his new hat by that time.

Law wasn't a very sentimental person, but just one look at the hat gave him visions from the past. He distinctly remembered how Lami would always steal it from his head, and run around until he caught her, they're parents laughing the whole time.

In his times of fear as a child, he remembered hiding behind the trim, so he didn't see some of the horrific things that still haunted his mind. The sounds were still there, and they were what added to the insomnia.

And…when Corazon had locked him in that box, he'd held onto it for dear life as the gunshots rang and Doflamingo laughed, and the tears came down…

Shaking his head, he set the hat back down, tired of remembering such things. He'd had enough for one day. Placing it back in the drawer, he closed it. He would find things for wrapping it later.

Another knock came on his door and, with one eyebrow raised, he went to open it. Opening it, he stepped aside to let Bepo inside. The bear held three strips of paper, meaning Blake had given him a visit.

"Who did you get, Captain?" Much as Blake always emphasized the rules of never telling anyone else who you got, Bepo and Law liked to break that rule, without fail, year after year. The two just couldn't keep something a secret from each other. Many of the crew knew this, but they kept it from Blake to avoid the horror-fest that could ensue afterwards.

"Casper-ya, Shachi-ya, and Summer-ya." He intentionally didn't tell Bepo that he got his first mate, because as much as they couldn't keep a secret from each other, he wasn't going to tell the bear what he was going to get him. The bear seemed happy by that.

"I was hoping you would get Summer." He said, and Law raised an eyebrow.

"And why is that?"

"I have an idea for Summer's gift." The bear said, smiling like he had a secret.

* * *

A/N- So, a good first chapter? Let me know what you think in a review!

See you in the next chapter!


	2. Carolers

A/N-Fanfiction, why you no fix view counter? *Frustrated look* Gah, I'm getting so annoyed with this...

Anyways, the structure of this story is in a way that every day till Christmas a new chapter will be posted. I've set it up just right that the last chapter will be released Christmas day, kind of like a gift from me to all of you!

Onwards!

* * *

 _*The Next Day*_

Summer gathered up her coat, zipping it up a little more as the wind blew in her face. She huffed, her breath making small clouds in front of her. The snow was thick underfoot, but she trekked on towards the market street. Glancing up, she found the snow was gently falling from the sky, landing on her nose and quickly melting against her skin.

The town was alive with the holiday spirit, or so Reid would have said. People were putting up sparkling tinsel and ornaments hung from the windows of houses. There were several branches of mistletoe hanging above walkways, which Summer took care to avoid. There were even some men waiting there…creepy.

The town had many shops, lining each side of the main square. It was constructed in just that way, a square. In the middle was a rounded patch of pavement. Standing in the middle was a huge tree. It had glittering decorations hanging from its branches, ranging in colors from reds and greens to purple and silvers. Ribbons wrapped the length, and lights were strung. None of them were turned on, though she assumed once the sun went down they would be lit.

There was a group of people singing in front of the tree. They all wore green and red, the women adorned in long overcoats that skirted the snow. They were singing a song Summer didn't recognize.

"…oh how they pound, raising good sound, O'er hill and dale, telling their tale!" It was very beautiful, and she walked closer.

"Gaily they ring, while people sing songs of good cheer Christmas is here, Merry merry merry merry Christmas, Merry merry merry merry Christmas!"

She smiled, standing there listening to the people. Her gaze drifted to the ground where there was a top hat turned over. Some spare change and a few beli sat at the bottom. Without hesitation, she took out some of her allowance and put a few beli in the hat. Straightening, she decided she'd better get to shopping. Catching the eye of one of the singers, they smiled brightly and nodded their head. With a smile of her own, Summer trekked off to look for gifts.

She assumed there were other smaller, perhaps family owned, shops tucked away among the houses on the residential streets, but she tried looking in the town square first. It would reduce the chances of her getting lost within the alleyways and tight roadways.

She looked down at her list, seeing the three names with ideas she'd come up with since the day before.

 _Penguin- wrenches? sake?_ _dirty magazines?_ _engine parts? (don't know where to begin) a new hat?_

 _Reid- sake? hot chocolate? binoculars?_

 _Law-?_

She sighed, realizing she didn't have much to go off of. Her best bet was probably just looking around and finding something when she saw it. She passed a bird keeper, who was talking to a woman in a petticoat. They were discussing prices.

"Oh, but my husband wants it to be a very memorable Christmas this year, and turtle doves would just make it perfect! But 500 beli for two birds is a little much…" Their words drifted off as Summer passed, and she walked into the first shop she saw.

The warmth from inside made her smile, and she glanced around at the men's clothing store. It made her a little nervous, being in a clothing shop for the opposite sex. Like she wasn't supposed to be there or something. Then she spotted another woman shopping the racks and felt a little less intrusive.

"Welcome!" A jovial man greeted from behind the counter. With a smile and a nod, Summer went to browse through the coats.

* * *

Law and Bepo walked passed the town, into the gently rolling hills of the countryside. They were discussing the gift exchange.

"What would Liam like?" Bepo asked, and Law pondered this.

"He's already covered the more advanced poison treatment publications, so he'd need something specific to read…Perhaps books on Arsenic and Cyanide?" Law said, and Bepo nodded thoughtfully.

"You'll help me look for the books at the store?" And Law nodded, knowing Bepo would be a little lost as to what to get in terms of medical books.

They continued their search of a specific place, which Law wanted to find because of Bepo's suggestion. He'd found the idea rather brilliant. Law would still give her the hat, but this would be another gift, perhaps one from both of them, one she'd probably remember forever.

"I think I smell water up here." The bear said, angling off to the right. Law looked back to see how far they were from the town, surprised that they actually were still pretty close.

They scaled the top of the hill, and looked down at the clearing below. The landscape was truly beautiful, but it was what sat in the middle that made it perfect. Law and Bepo grinned. It was exactly what they were looking for.

* * *

Summer left the store without a gift. There hadn't been anything that seemed to be what she was looking for. The store manager had been rather helpful, directing her towards the headwear and scarves, since that was her only idea. They were all rather expensive, buying just one of them would have depleted half of her remaining gift money, and she still had two gifts to buy afterwards.

Heading to the next store, she saw it was a mechanical parts store. Maybe she'd be able to find something for Penguin, though her knowledge of machinery and fixing things was limited to two numbers: Penguin's and Shachi's personal den den mushi extensions. Entering the store, she was greeted with the smell of oil and metal, something she'd become fairly familiar with during her stay aboard the submarine. A scruffy-looking man, with a stained white shirt and trousers held up by suspenders, came up to greet her. He had a rather bushy mustache, and the sight almost made her giggle. Almost. She had the manners to keep that to herself.

"Hello, Miss. You looking for a gift?" She nodded, and he seemed to see her hesitation.

"You ain't got a clue about machinery, do ya?" With a chuckle she nodded.

"I've never had to deal with that stuff. But my friend loves fixing things." The man gave a deep laugh, and he patted her shoulder good-naturedly.

"Well, don't you worry. I know everything there is to know about these parts." He took her to the first isle, explaining what things did and what they were used for.

* * *

After finding what it was they'd been looking for in the countryside, Law and Bepo returned to the town to look for gifts. Every once in awhile the men would see crew mates exiting stores with boxes and bags in their arms. They scurried back to the sub as quickly as possible, probably to avoid bumping into whomever the gift was intended for.

Law had suggested searching the town all over for shops before they actually went shopping, and Bepo had agreed. Purposefully, they walked down by the docks where the fish vendors set up shop. Ice fishing was a popular business on this island, since it was perpetually blanketed in snow.

There was a large variety of fish available, and Bepo sniffed at each one unconsciously as they passed by. Law watched with a careful eye for the fish that he seemed to enjoy the most. Law knew the moment Bepo sniffed the fish that the purple scaled snapper was the one. The bear broke into a wide smile, which he miserably tried to hide, before sagging his shoulders just slightly as they walked past. The bear never realized that Law was watching, as he pretended to look at their list of names.

It seemed Bepo had picked out his own gift, unknowingly or otherwise.

* * *

As kind and helpful as the machine guy was, he tended to go on and on about some of the parts, ultimately confusing her beyond what was reasonable. All the names and uses and prices mixed together until she was questioning why she'd even gone inside in the first place.

Nonetheless, she had come out with a gift. When they'd gone over the safety equipment section she'd spotted a pair of goggles that looked like the ones Reid always wore. When she asked what they were for, he stated that they were for protection against metal shavings, but they could double as shooting eyewear. It all sounded perfect, and they weren't too expensive, so she'd bought them and crossed Reid's name off of her list.

Christmas was only two days away, which meant she had to get Law's gift and Penguin's gift by the next day. There was always the option of making a gift herself, but that avenue left her without any ideas either.

The singers were still standing at the tree, treating the whole square to their singing.

"Silent Night, Holy Night…" Summer stood at the railing in front of the shop, simply listening to the sweet music.

* * *

A/N-Another chapter done! Hopefully you guys enjoy!

Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think! I'd really appreciate it!

See you in the next chapter!


	3. The Hens Don't Listen

A/N-On to the third chapter!

 **sarge1130-** It really creeps up on you doesn't it? :) Hey, even deadly pirates need a holiday XD

 **Apple Bloom-** I never imagined I would do A Christmas special because wow I didn't think I'd be writing this long! :D

Onwards!

* * *

Law waited outside the store, leaning on the railing, as Bepo looked around inside the store behind him. The bear insisted he go in alone so that Law wouldn't know what he bought, and he agreed. As much as they both broke the rules of the gift exchange every year, it seemed this one was supposed to be kept a huge secret, at least to Bepo. Respecting his wishes, the Captain looked around at the square.

The carolers had been at the tree all day, and they were still going. Law wasn't a huge fan of Christmas songs, nor would he ever be caught dead singing, so he didn't really pay attention to them. Looking around at the shops, he spotted several stores that sold kitchen equipment, and decided he would go to one of them next to look for Casper's gift.

As his eyes scanned the covered walkways in front of all the stores across the square, he spotted a certain blonde figure leaning against the railing opposite from him. With a smirk, he watched Summer listen to the carolers with her mouth slightly open in wonder.

She was too far away to really see her eyes, but he was sure they were sparkling with awe, just like they always did when she saw or heard something she'd never experienced before. He would have assumed that somewhere along her nomadic way of life island hopping years ago that she'd celebrated a Christmas or two, but suddenly he began to doubt that assumption.

She held her head in both hands, elbows balanced on top of the railing, and she looked like some child beholding the most amazing thing in the world. He smirked. The small things certainly did please her the most.

* * *

The singers sang through several songs before Summer realized she'd been standing there awhile. Shaking her head, she straightened from the railing and shook out her limbs. They'd started going numb from the cold. Exhaling into her gloved hands, she wandered over to the next store, hoping that they had something for Penguin or Law.

Unfortunately, nothing caught her eye. Store after store and nothing seemed to pop. Things were either too expensive or just didn't seem right to her. By the time she'd covered basically the entire square, she still hadn't found anything for the engineer or Captain.

During the course of the day, she bumped into several other nakama, but they tried their best to hide whatever gifts they had gotten other people. Reid's goggles weren't too hard, as she just stuffed them in her small bag she'd gotten from a raid the week before.

Finding nothing for either of her friends on the main street, she began to venture into the lower-traffic areas. There had to be a few family-owned trade shops around somewhere.

Summer wandered the backstreets, glancing down at her list every so often. She'd spotted a pottery shop first, but ceramics weren't really anyone's thing onboard. Along the way, she'd picked up a map of the town. Staring hard at the small streets and labeled shops on the paper, she nearly bumped into an older woman herding a flock of chickens.

"Oh! I'm sorry." She said, and the woman chuckled.

"No harm done, deary." She began to walk away, but Summer decided that wandering around all day with no direction was just wasting her time. She raised a hand to stop her.

"Wait!" The woman turned, a question on her face. "Would you happen to know a good place that sells gifts? I've already looked through all the ones in the main square but I couldn't really find anything."

"Well, I would hope so. I've lived here 60 years!" The woman laughed, calling her chickens back around her. "An old friend of mine owns an antique shops just a few streets over." She pointed in the direction opposite the town. "It's the only house with red stone steps and an iron fence. You won't miss it."

"Thank you so much!" Summer called, trying to step around the birds. Watching the younger woman try to maneuver around them, the older one laughed again.

"Oh, french hens aren't exactly the most obedient of birds! Hehehehehe…" She walked away, the feathered creatures following after her.

Shaking her head, Summer went in search for the antique store.

* * *

Law walked nonchalantly through the sub, as if he were just taking a leisurely stroll. Conveniently down the hall where Summer's room was located. Yes, completely normal and not unusual.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he approached her door and tried the nob, finding it unlocked. Entering, he flipped on the light switch. He was half surprised to see it so clean, used to the men's messier quarters or his own cluttered array of books and papers and coffee mugs. Hers was well-kept and tidy, and it smelled nice, unlike everywhere else onboard.

Closing the door quietly behind him, he went straight for why he'd gone there in the first place: her closet. Throwing open the doors, it was shocking at how sparse it actually was. She definitely wasn't the stereotypical woman having thousands of articles of clothing and who knew how many pairs of shoes. Two pairs of shoes and enough clothing to fill half the closet stared him in the face. He sighed, wondering when she would ever stop surprising him.

Leaning down, he lifted one of the shoes up to see the size. He kept listening intently for footsteps, or for the door to open suddenly and have Summer walk through. That would only bring about hell on earth, or something similar.

She was a size 8? Shaking his head, he replaced the shoe and straightened, closing the closet gently. He was willing to bet that all of her clothes were size medium or less too, what with her being as small as she was. No matter how much food she ate, she never seemed to get any bigger.

Leaving the room as quickly as possible with the information he'd acquired, his next destination was a shop he'd seen earlier. Summer's second present was turning out to be more expensive than he'd thought. Shrugging it off, he headed down the hall.

* * *

The old lady had been right. There was no way she could have missed the shop. The red stone steps were there, along with the iron fence…

And the biggest sign she'd ever seen, proclaiming the place to be, indeed, an antique shop. The thing took up half the face of the building, painted in bright colors.

 _'_ _Mrs. Mortimer's Antiques, Trinkets, and Gifts'_

Well, that was certainly what Summer was looking for. Lifting the little latch on the front gate, she walked up towards the house. She ascended the steps and approached the door, eyeing the ridiculously large knocker. Smirking at the sheer bizarreness of it all, she lifted it up and let it bang against the wood.

There was a small peephole about eye level, and it quickly opened, revealing a single brown eye. It glanced around before finally landing on her.

"Oh!" A person said in surprise, before the hole was covered and several locks were unlocked from the other side of the door. It opened suddenly, revealing a tall and skinny man, wearing nothing more than a one-piece nightgown and sleeping hat. "A visitor! Please, come in, come in!"

Summer blinked a moment, still in shock from what was happening. She allowed herself to be guided inside, and the man shut the door behind her.

* * *

A/N- So, what can we expect from Mrs. Mortimer? Wonderful things, I assure you! :D

Please leave a review and let me know what you thought! I really appreciate them! :D

See you in the next chapter!


	4. Dream Oracle

A/N-Hmm...it's so hard to gauge if you guys like this story since the view counter isn't working...I hope you guys are...hard to tell by the lack of reviews...

Onwards!

* * *

Summer was ushered into the house, guided by the persistent man behind her. He pushed at her shoulders, not unkindly, so she walked down the hall. He removed her coat from her, hanging it on a coat rack by the door and chatting the entire way.

"We've had very few visitors these days, what with that big shopping district put into place. Most people forget we're still here! Oh, where are my manners? My name's Giles. Would you like a cup of tea, or hot cider perhaps? I believe there's a tray of cookies hot out of the oven as well, or if you'd like-"

Summer's head was still spinning from the bewildering pace at which she'd been effective stripped down to her casual clothes and how quickly the man talked. Almost immediately, he turned her into a sitting room where a large fireplace and three large armchairs sat. The room was ornately furnished, in an old-time homely way, but the first thing that caught her eye was the woman sitting in one of the chairs.

She looked quite frail, almost drowning in her large petticoat and skirts. Her face was wrinkled with age but her…aura, as Summer could only describe it, gave off that feeling that she was young and alive. On her head of dark red hair sat a small sunhat, though the room itself was rather darkly lit. She cracked a motherly smile as Summer was pushed inside.

"Please, come in, my dear." She picked up a pipe from the table beside her chair, taking a long drag from it and puffing out waves of smoke. It took a moment for Summer to realize that Giles had left the room and she wasn't being pushed anymore. Taking a hesitant step into the room, she cleared her throat.

"Are you…Mrs. Mortimer?" She asked, recalling the sign on the front of the house.

"I am. I assume Margaret told you about my little shop?" When Summer nodded, she chuckled. "Her and her hens. Her calling birds are quite loud, despite only having four of them. Keeps me up all night, some nights! She's a good-hearted woman, though." She seemed to notice the girl's shaken appearance. With a chuckle, she waved her towards he seat. "Oh, don't mind Giles. He's a rather…rambunctious man. Please, do take a seat."

Rambunctious seemed to describe her as well. Deciding that she wasn't in any immediate danger, except for getting her ear talked off by these rather scatterbrained people, she took a breath and walked over to the chair. It looked rather comfy, which she found to be correct as soon as she sat down. With a contented sigh, she let herself relax in the fabric.

"I take it you're looking for a gift for two of your friends? An engineer and a pirate Captain?" She picked up a piece of paper from the table, it had previously been folded in half and slightly crumpled and-Summer's eyebrows shot up, hands digging through her bag pockets.

"How did you-?" She started, staring at the paper, which now looked identical to her shopping list, in alarm. Had Giles stolen it and given it to the woman? But the man hadn't even stepped in the room.

"Now, now, don't be afraid. Just a simple parlor trick, mind you." The woman reassured, giving another smile and a low chuckle. "Girls your age shouldn't be so skittish."

"How do you know who they are?" The woman shook her head.

"You're part of a pirate crew, my dear, and a well known one to boot. You don't really think I wouldn't know someone from Mr. Trafalgar Law's crew when I saw them, would you?" Summer pursed her lips. Mrs. Mortimer hadn't really answered her question, but for the sake of sparing any more confusion, she let it go.

"Now, back to the matter at hand. You're looking for gifts, is that right?" Summer nodded, and the woman continued. "Well, I need to know a little bit about these people personally before I can help you. Will you tell me a little bit about them?"

Summer blew out a long breath. "What exactly do you need to know?"

Mrs. Mortimer grabbed a notebook from the table, which Summer swore wasn't there before, and the pen next to it.

"Oh, what they love to do, how deep your friendship is, their dreams and goals."

"Hmm…" Summer thought long and hard about her nakama, deciding to start with Penguin first. "Penguin is really nice, funny and smart. He loves fixing things, working with machines and whatnot. Oh, and he's a big pervert, but not in the creepy kind of way."

Mrs. Mortimer scribbled everything, a small grin on her face. "Penguin is a rather strange name, don't you think?" Summer laughed.

"Yeah, a little."

"You say he's a pervert? What are his preferences?" Summer frowned, not expecting that question. Just then, Giles emerged from the hall, carrying a tray with tea and pastries of some kind. Mrs. Mortimer brightened.

"Oh, Giles, thank you dear." He set the tray on the coffee table in between the three chairs, pouring them each a cup.

"Sugar?" He asked Summer. She'd never had tea before but decided that sugar in her drink would probably be a good idea. He made the drinks and dished them out before taking a seat in the third chair. Back to the matter at hand, Summer wondered aloud at the question.

"Uhh…preferences? I guess…he likes, women's underwear? They're constantly trying to raid my drawer." She thought back to the last unsuccessful raid, with her threatening them with slow acting poison in their meals for a weak.

"I assume you put them in their place, yes?" Smirking, Summer nodded. "Very good. A strong woman is the key to any tightly-knit group. She keeps them on their toes, you know.

"Now, what does Penguin dream of?" Summer sat there, stuck.

"I…really don't know actually." With a chuckle, the woman placed her notebook back on the table and picked up the large leather-bound book that was there. Summer frowned.

 _'_ _I swear that wasn't there before. Where did it come from?"_

"Well, that's not a problem. Hmm…let's see here…" She opened the book, tracing her finger down the yellowed pages. Her eyes squinted, trying to read the words from the orange light of the fire. Summer didn't understand why she didn't turn on a light, but wasn't going to say anything. She looked deep in concentration.

"Paul…Penelope…Penguin, ah yes, here we are." She positioned the book better to see, and read from within. "Penguin's dream is to win the heart of a woman he loves and create the world's most deadly battle machine." She read with a chuckle, closing the book with a dull clap. She set the book on the table and picked up the notebook again.

"To…where did you get that? How do you know that stuff?" Summer asked, pointing at the book. What was most surprising to the blonde was how eerily alike her friend and what she claimed his dream was. It sounded just like him, but how could she know that? Mrs. Mortimer chuckled again, smoking from the pipe, and suddenly Summer wasn't so sure the woman before her was as honest as she seemed.

"Oh Summer, my dear, it's my job. I make sure that dreams are fulfilled. I'm the dream oracle."

* * *

Law left the sports shop with two pairs of shoes: one for himself and one for Summer. He carried the boxes in front of him, but they were wrapped in plain wrapping paper so no one would know what they contained. Bepo walked next to him, carrying his own presents. Both of them had fulfilled their list of names for the exchange, now they just had to finish wrapping them. Well, except for Law, who had to get Bepo's fish.

"Reid should be done with decorations." Bepo commented. Law nodded, trying to calculate when he could pick up Bepo's fish. With the bear's sense of smell, it would be nearly impossible to mask the smell of the fish, making any attempt to hide the gift worthless. That was another aspect Law had to take into account. Perhaps he could take some of the cologne from one of the men's quarters, or some of Summer's perfume and spray the outside of the box.

The two rounded the corner of the square, and the sub was in sight. Docked at the harbor, he saw a young boy talking to two of his men.

"Please, mister! It's for my mother!" He heard the boy plead, barely holding back tears.

"Sorry kid, but we have a job to do." Narrowing his eyes, Law approached the scene.

"What's going on?" Cameron, one of the maintenance men onboard, gestured to the boy.

"He's insistent upon cleaning the hull, to earn money for his family."

"Take these onboard." He said to Bepo, handing the boxes to his first mate. Law turned to the boy, who was trying his hardest not to succumb to the tears that threatened to fall.

"You want to clean my ship?" He asked, and the boy nodded silently. Cocking his head to the side, he crouched to the ground. "Why?"

The boy sniffed. "My mother's really sick and I need to buy medicine so she can get better. But we don't have any money, so I have to work for it." His hat, which was a few sizes too big to fit on his head properly, hid his eyes, but Law knew they showed a desperation that someone who hadn't lived in a sort-of hell couldn't understand.

This boy, he was too similar to himself, and Law didn't like it.

"What's your name?"

"Christian, sir."

With being similar to him, he knew exactly what he was going through. The desperation to treat someone you love, but unable to do so, the feeling was agony.

"Where's your father?" The boy sniffed, lowering his head an inch.

"He died when I was three." Of course. Crouching down, Law decided on his course of action.

"I expect perfection. No slacking off, no spots missed, and I expect you to be done by tomorrow morning." He said, and it took a moment for the boy to realize that he was being allowed to work.

"R-really?" His face lit up, and without hesitation, he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around the Surgeon of Death's neck, surprising him with the unwanted hug. Law frowned, unhappy with the amount of happy feelings this town seemed to promote.

"Why aren't you getting to work?" He said, prompting the boy to let go of him. With a determined salute, the boy grabbed his cleaning equipment.

"It'll be spotless by the time I'm done!" Christian ran off to start his task. Standing, Law brushed snow off of his knee, and the two crew members looked to Law.

"Well, if he's gonna clean it, what are we supposed to do?" Cameron asked.

"Have you both gotten your gifts?" They shook their heads. "Now would be a good time, while you aren't working." Sharing a glance, the men shrugged and set down their tools.

The two left, and Law could hear him excitedly chattering to himself as he prepared to clean the side of the submarine.

"…she'll be alright and after she's better I can save up the rest to pay back Dr. Jolly! But what if I don't have enough? Oh! I can just clean another ship or two!"

Law's interest piqued, and he decided to pay this 'Dr. Jolly' character a visit.

After all, he was feeling rather generous that day.

* * *

A/N- Ah, we meet Mrs. Mortimer and Giles! I loved writing them they're so fun X)

Anyways, leave a review and let me know what you thought!

See you in the next chapter!


	5. Penguin's Gift

A/N- Gah! I'm so sorry for not posting this thing as it was supposed to. Lots of hectic days behind me. But anyways, I'm posting the next few chapters to get caught up wot where I should be. Sorry!

 **Mei-** Law and the engineers are my favorite to write in this :D They're so cute :3

 **Apple Bloom-** Of course he has a soft spot :P Cuz I love him XD

 **sarge1130-** I always look forward to reading your reviews, and I know you'll leave one each chapter. I appreciate your dedication!

 **StarliteOracle-** I'm glad you like it!

 **Anon-** *Smirks* Oh yes. He would like that very much ;D

 **BrokenButStillStanding-** Aww, well I'm sad to say you may not find that out D: Law's dream is too complicated XD

Onwards!

* * *

"Dream Oracle?" Summer asked, and Mrs. Mortimer nodded.

"Of course. You've never heard of me?" She chuckled, pretending to be offended that she was unknown. "Many different cultures have some kind of legend about me, mind you."

Summer frowned, wondering just what she'd gotten herself into. Giles, and the old lady herself, were starting to appear very strange. They both had a tendency to run their mouths, going wherever their derailed trains of thought took them, but she wasn't sure if that meant danger. She hadn't sensed any malice from either person, so she hadn't left quite yet. But she was getting close.

"Legends? What exactly does a…dream oracle do?"

"I already told you, I fulfill dreams. It's my job to make sure people get their wishes and their heart's desires granted." She pulled out the notebook once more, probably preparing it for whatever Summer had to say next.

"So…" Summer thought about the whole concept, rubbing at her chin. "You're like, Santa Claus?" Mrs. Mortimer scoffed, waving the notion away with her hand.

"That old coot? Oh, heavens no. He's years past his prime. He retired centuries ago, mostly by my kind suggestion. It's not easy traveling the whole world in one night, you know."

"Santa's…real?" Summer questioned, but Mrs. Mortimer continued talking.

"Now, dear. If you want my help in finding a gift for your friends, I suggest you start talking so I can get writing."

The blonde's mouth hung open, head spinning from the rapid pace at which this woman worked. Distractedly going off on the most interesting tangent ever, which Summer was half tempted to ask her to finish, all the way to reigning it back in with a quick word. Besides, she didn't think the Dream Oracle would tell her for certain if St. Nick was real anyway. The old lady was much too aloof.

"Right…" Summer said, trying to settle herself into the chair once more.

"Now, let's hear a little about this Captain friend of yours."

"He's a complete and utter ass." She said bluntly, crossing her arms. Mrs. Mortimer wrote it down, for whatever reason, looking back so she would continue. "He's sadistic, cruel, arrogant, sometimes I can't stand him! He's always teasing me, and he has this infernal habit of smirking at everything you do, he's just annoying sometimes…"

"Mhmm…" The woman hummed, pen flying across the page.

"He really cares about his crew though. We're like family. And he's really smart, like genius smart. He's a doctor and heals the crew when we're injured and stuff. Umm…he hates bread?" She added with a shrug.

"Hmm…I see. Yes, I think that will do." She snapped the notebook shut with one hand, setting the pen down on the table. Picking the pipe back up she leaned back in her chair and took a long drag.

"So, can you help me?" Summer clenched her fists on her knees, hoping that somehow this adventure would be worth it. Mrs. Mortimer blew out the smoke, which was quickly sucked into the flames of the fireplace.

"Certainly, my dear." She reached over to the table again and picked up a box, about the size of her notebook and thin. Summer swore she'd been watching the table, and it definitely hadn't been there before.

"Where are you getting all of that? It's like they just appear there." Summer insisted, but Mrs. Mortimer only chuckled.

"Take a look, and don't get all out of sorts with it. Girls your age shouldn't be so easily surprised. This would be the perfect gift for your Penguin friend." She handed Summer the box, which was surprisingly light. Summer's gaze was directed to a quick glint of the firelight on the old woman's fingers. One on each finger, Summer saw five golden rings. They were delicately carved and looked extremely old and worn. Letters were engraved in the sides, but they weren't in any language that she recognized.

 _'_ _Just how old is she?'_ With one more glance at the old woman, she lifted the top.

"HUH?" She guffawed at the present, dropping the lid on the ground in shock. Her mouth and eyes flew open. Mrs. Mortimer sighed, shaking her head.

"I knew this would happen." Summer tried to recover herself, holding up the panties, which had been put inside delicately on display on a red silk pillow, in the air. They were white with small sledding penguins all over them. The edges were trimmed in red lace, topped off with a tiny bow along the hem.

"Mmm." Giles sipped at his tea in appreciation, examining the undergarments. "They're quite modest, for being so fancily made. Just right for a young lady such as yourself."

"I agree." Mrs. Mortimer replied, picking up her own cup.

"Why in the hell would I give this to him?" She sputtered, stuffing the gift back in the box. "Shouldn't this be a gift for me?" Shaking her head, she set the cup down on the table.

"Oh, no my dear, that just wouldn't do. My job is to fulfill dreams, not idle wants. No, this gift is especially important for Mr. Penguin. You want him to fulfill his dream, don't you?"

Inside she was panicking beyond belief, trying to piece together just what would happen if she were to give Penguin of all people a pair of what seemed to be her underwear. He'd probably think they were dating. Or worse.

But she wanted them to be happy, and frankly, anything to get them to their dreams was something she supported. She just didn't know it involved this…Realizing that she was a bit of a stick in the mud, she sighed.

"Are you sure it's what he wants?" She asked, a silent plead that the Dream Oracle was only joking. With a slow nod, Mrs. Mortimer grabbed a cookie from the tray.

"Quite so."

Summer sighed, deciding that she needed a drink. Picking up the cup of tea for the first time, she sniffed it first, trying to decide what it would taste like. Taking a tentative sip, her face perked up when she found that she liked it. "I guess I can give it to him…" She conceded. Mrs. Mortimer clapped her hands together.

"Excellent! Now that we've got Penguin covered, we'll focus on your lover."

Summer about spit out her tea, but was just short of doing so by covering her mouth with her hand. She coughed, sputtering with shock. "E-excuse me?" She grabbed a convenient napkin from the table, wiping at the tea all over her.

"Well, you still need a gift for your Captain, correct?"

"That's not what I meant!" She set the cup down. "Who said anything about a lover?"

"Why, you did, dear." Mrs. Mortimer looked rather confused. She just couldn't understand what all the ruckus was about. Summer rolled her eyes.

"I didn't say anything-" The older woman chuckled, cutting off the rest of her sentence.

"Oh, I'm no fool, my girl. The way you talk about him, regardless of if it was negative, it makes it quite obvious." She sipped at her tea. Summer looked to Giles, who only nodded in agreement. Sighing she slumped down in the chair.

"Can we just get on with the magic gift giving stuff? Please? For the sake of my dignity?"

The shook her head with a small smile, amused by her tragic tone. "Oh, settle yourself. Besides, I won't be giving you a gift for Mr. Trafalgar."

"You're not?" Summer didn't understand. "But I thought you "fulfilled dreams" or whatever?" She made quotes in the air, and Mrs. Mortimer looked rather offended.

"Why, my dear Summer, I can't be expected to do everything. Then I would be achieving everyone's dreams for them! No, I only help. And Mr. Trafalgar's dream is something with which help cannot be provided. All you can do for him is give him a thoughtful gift from the heart." He explanations tended on the very cryptic, and it was beginning to get on Summer's nerves.

"Well, what is his dream?" She gave a guarded smile, and Summer knew immediately that that answer wouldn't be coming from her.

"That isn't something for me to answer. I'm afraid you'll have to ask him yourself."

"Well, could you at least tell me where I could get something he'd like? I've checked all the stores!" Mrs. Mortimer picked up a piece of paper from the table, handing it to the blonde.

"All of them, you say?" She leaned over and tapped a circled spot on the map. "There's a small clothing shop on the next street over. The owners are good people, and they'll help you find what you're looking for."

It seemed that this meeting had come to an end, but there was a burning question that Summer just had to ask, even though she knew it was a little rude to ask. "Mrs. Mortimer, how old are you?"

Giles looked appalled, mouth open and eyebrows raised, at the question that sprang from her lips. But Mrs. Mortimer didn't seem so surprised.

"Ohohohoho, don't you know never to ask a lady her age? It's improper!" She laughed aloud, slapping her knee in amusement. "Oh, but if you really want an answer, I'm not a day over 28!"

Summer grinned, eyeing the wrinkled skin and aging face, knowing full well that she was lying, but decided to let it go. She didn't think she'd ever understand this lady, but she was rather fond of her. Mrs. Mortimer was an odd woman, but a likable one.

"Thank you for all your help." Picking up the small box and the map, she stood. Giles immediately rose to his feet as well, leading her out into the hallway.

"Don't forget your coat!" He said, taking it from the coatrack and holding it open for her to slip on. "It's rather cold outside."

"Thank you, Giles." She smiled and put the sleeves on. Giles escorted her back to the door and opened it for her. She gave an appreciative nod before heading down the steps and down to the street. Summer turned, waving to the man as he shut the door.

* * *

A/N- Like I said before, I'll be posting all the chapters I've missed to this point so I can get back on track and catch up to where I'm suppose to be.

Don't forget to leave a review! I really appreciate them!

See you in the next chapter!


	6. Sisters Grim

A/N- The three sisters introduced in this chapter are now being posted on the Deviantart Page!

* * *

Summer followed the map to the marked location, and upon looking up from the paper she found herself in front of a small clothing shop. It was quite small, no bigger than an average house. The windows were covered with lacy curtains, but firelight flickered in the reflection and she knew it'd probably be nice and warm inside.

A dilapidated sign swung from a post outside the house. _Grim Sisters' Seamstress Services._ Opening the gate to the front yard, she walked up the path to the door. The entrance wasn't as old or grand as Mrs. Mortimer's residence, but it still held that outdated vibe, as if it had been picked up from years ago and deposited in the future.

She knocked three times on the door. Stepping backward, Summer waited for someone inside to answer.

The door unlocked and opened slowly, drifting backwards with a loud squeak of the rusty hinges. Summer frowned when it became apparent no one had opened the door. Basically, the door had opened itself, and it was _really_ creepy. She peered inside the house, seeing only a dark lobby with a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Gripping Penguin's present a little tighter, Summer hesitantly walked inside.

The wallpaper in the front room was peeling, and darkened with age. The designs had at one time been flowers of various colors, but it now resembled a dark grey background with several stains all over it. Beneath her, an old throw rug covered the wooden floor, and a large staircase led to an upstairs. The house hadn't look so large from the outside, and Summer knew that it didn't look like two stories from out on the street.

 _'_ _Why do things always have to be so weird…'_ She thought, recalling her strange encounter with Mrs. Mortimer earlier.

Gathering her courage, she cleared her throat. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

"Clotho, go greet the guest!" A female voice said. It sounded to be in a room further into the house, and another female spoke up in response.

"It's never been my job to greet people! Why can't Lachesis do it?"

"Because I'm busy making the garment, remember?" There were several thumps, and Summer frowned, wondering if she should just leave the house and look for a gift elsewhere. The sounds became louder, and the next moment a very tall, very thin woman appeared at the doorway. Her green hair stood out against black of her uniform.

"You must be Summer. Come on back, dear." She turned away immediately, and Summer was able to do nothing except obey. Walking on autopilot, she observed the halls and rooms of the house in more detail. The wooden walls were beginning to rot away, the wallpaper no longer covering most parts of it. Old pictures and portraits of people who had to be dead at this point decorated the walls. Some had fallen over and leaned the wall, never returned to their original location. One pictured a barn full of geese, with a farmer picking the eggs from each roost. Why it was there, she would never know.

"We've almost finished putting the collar together, but it shouldn't take more than a few minutes." The green-haired woman said, leading Summer into what she could only describe as a work room.

The biggest sewing machines she'd ever seen littered the room, with spindles and threads and needles hanging from every shelf and countertop. Fabrics were stacked to the side, reaching as high as the ceiling. Several standing models were stuffed in one corner, plastic arms and legs that had fallen off placed beside them. Everything was so cluttered, it was a wonder if any work could get done at all.

"Clotho, Lachesis, don't just stand there, say hello!" The woman said, and Summer finally noticed the two other women working behind machines. To her surprise, they all looked identical, the only think setting them apart was their hair color. They seemed to coordinate their outfits with their designated color.

"We're almost done, don't go rushing us!" The pink-haired woman shouted with a huff, pulling a needle and threat through a mass of feathers. Summer didn't know what she was trying to accomplish with that, but apparently it qualified as 'work.' The blue-haired one, sitting at another machine, scowled at the pinkette.

"Lacheses, you should learn to be more considerate! Don't mind her, she's just a grump." The one Summer assumed to be Clotho said.

"I'm Atropos, by the way." The one who had escorted her said, flicking a bit of green hair out of her face. "Don't mind my sisters, they can be rather distracted sometimes."

"You're one to talk." Clotho muttered, continuing to spin the thread for their sewing. It looked very simple, but Summer was willing to bet that the whole process required years of practice and perfection.

"So-" Summer began, but Lachesis cut her off.

"You're here for your gift right? For that pirate?"

It shouldn't be natural, the way everyone knew who she was and why she was there, but it seemed to be the norm that day. After her meeting with Mrs. Mortimer, nothing could really surprise her at that point. Shrugging, she decided to see where things took her.

"Yeah, but I'm not sure what to get him."

"Well, that's easy. We're almost finished making it!" Atropos clapped her hands, going to sit down at her own sewing machine. She grabbed the dark blue fabric, which was suspiciously in the shape of a long-sleeved shirt, and the feather creation that Lachesis had been working on, and began working on it herself.

"Hey!" The pink and blue sisters cried, outraged that their work was being taken over.

"Oh hush." The green one said,

"How is your life progressing thus far?" Clotho asked suddenly, turning in her seat to look at Summer. The blonde's brows rose, surprised by the question.

"Umm…fine I guess?" Frustrated, the blue-haired woman shook her head.

"After all you've been through with that scientist and the government, all you have to say is 'fine?'"

"Well, what do you expect me to say?" She defended, deciding not to question how in the world they knew about her past.

"Well, how is your career as a pirate? Exciting? Adventurous?" She leaned in closer, and Summer backed away slightly. The eagerness at which Clotho asked the questions was rather creepy, but from the state of the house, and the behavior of the sisters, they didn't get out much.

"Yeah, all those things. It's fun, and I love my nakama."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Lachesis joined in the conversation, leaning against the back of her chair. She rested her arms on the top, setting her chin on her arms. "But surely that Trafalgar Law keeps you on your toes, what with all the teasing and such?" Summer laughed.

"He's definitely a jerkwad sometimes, but he's still my Captain."

"I wonder what it would be like to sail the seas." Lachesis said dreamily, and Atropos quickly jumped in.

"You'd be killed by an opposing pirate crew, Lachesis, so don't get any fanciful thoughts." The green-haired woman was tying off the ends of the threads, pulling and tugging at each seam to make sure they would hold.

"Hand it over!" Clotho said, grabbing the garment and checking it over. "Hmm…" She inspected over everything with a careful eye. "Looks fine to me."

"I'll be the judge of that." Lachesis stole it from Clotho's grasp, triple checking every piece. "I guess you're right. It looks perfect."

"As they always are." Atropos mentioned, looking rather pleased with herself. The pinkette flipped it so that it was no longer inside out. To Summer's surprise, Law's jolly roger sported the front half of the jacket.

"Wow! It looks great." Summer reached for it, feeling the soft feather collar and warm fabric. "This is perfect. I just hope he likes it." She expressed her doubt and Clotho waved it off.

"Oh, the man will like it!"

"Now, off you go! It would do no good to be late for dinner! Casper needs help with the soup!" Lachesis stood, pushing her out into the hallway, shoving the jacket into Summer's arms. She was still carrying Penguin's gift, and she juggled them in the crooks of her elbows.

"Oh, alright then." She said, flustered but unable to really make sense of anything.

"Don't forget to wrap it!" Atropos supplied, but Summer was being pushed closer to the door and couldn't reply.

"Be safe out there!" Lachesis called, effectively shoving her out the door and onto the porch. It was a much less friendly departure than with Mrs. Mortimer's house, but she knew they didn't mean any harm by it. Either way, she almost lost her balance, and she slipped on the snowy path leading to the gate. Before she was able to turn back around, the door had already shut.

"Well then." Summer said aloud, straightening her own jacket before heading off to the gate.

 _'_ _This town sure is strange.'_


	7. All Expenses Paid

A/N- Oh, I love posting this story! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy just thinking about the last chapter! X) Can't wait for you guys to read it!

 **Apple Bloom-** Oh, I'm sure he'll like it ;)

 **BrokenButStillStanding-** The nosebleed eruption will definitely happen, knowing those two perverts XD And I'm so glad you look forward to the updates! :D

Onwards!

* * *

It took a whole lot of stealth to get onboard the submarine without anyone seeing the gift she'd gotten everyone. As much as the jacket the three Grim sisters gave her was a great solution to not knowing what to get her captain, it wasn't exactly easy to hide. She'd had to stuff it into the little bag on her shoulder, trying not to tear any of the feathers. It was surprisingly durable for something that looked so delicate.

Penguin's gift, Reid's gift, and Law's gift found, all she had left to do was wrap them.

She snuck aboard the sub, greeting those she passed with a smile. They tried peeking in her bag but she kept it carefully covered with her arm. She breathed a sigh of relief upon closing her door behind her, satisfied that she'd accomplished everything she needed.

Hiding everything under her bed, she quickly ran to the kitchen to start helping with dinner.

* * *

It didn't take quite as long as Law had imagined to find Dr. Jolly, as the boy mentioned. There was only one doctor of any kind on the island, and after asking a few locals he determined the location of his office. Heading there, he passed by the main square again.

Summer scurried back to the ship, not noticing him passing on the opposite side. It was amusing to see her small bag bulging with supposed gifts. It seemed she had finished her shopping, and was heading back to the sub to hide the gifts.

Once she hurried out of sight, he turned back to the street. Just past the main square, the first street leading to the residential sections of town came into view, and right on the corner was a white-bricked building, with a large sign across the top.

 _Dr. Jolly's Center for Emergency and Medical Care._ It looked pristine, and a few people filtered through the doors as he approached. The doors were automated, and they slid open for him. He didn't have any weapons with him, but that didn't mean he wasn't armed. Being a devil fruit user gave him that advantage.

The lobby looked friendly and bright. Christmas music played overhead, much to his annoyance. It seemed that the sounds of it were everywhere. Chairs were lined against the walls, small tables place beside them with magazines and books. A handful of people sat and read the provided material, but no one paid him any attention. In the corner was a play area for children, where two toddlers stacked blocks. Behind the front desk was a woman, no older than 17 or so. Her head was lowered, working on some papers, and so she didn't see Law as he came up.

"Hello." He said, and she about jumped out of her seat. Her hand flew to her chest, trying to stop her rapidly beating heart.

"Oh!" She huffed, smiling in awkward relief. "You scared me, jeez." Her eyes locked with his, and she seemed to be stunned into silence. Her mouth hung open slightly, and her blue eyes widened and they looked him over up and down. Law only raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to compose herself. Seeming to realize that she was staring, she cleared her throat. "Uh…Can I help you with anything?"

"I'd like to speak to Dr. Jolly."

Shuffling through the stack of papers on her desk, and constantly pushing her blonde hair behind her ear in the process, she lifted one and examined it. She had a small barrette in the shape of a swan, neck curved elegantly. "Umm…it looks like…he doesn't have any appointments right now, so he should be in his office." She pointed to a door on the side of the room. Law nodded.

"Thank you."

She gave a half smile, fidgeting with her hands and gesturing for no reason. "Oh, yeah totally, no problem!" She gave a laugh, never looking him in the eyes. "I-I'll be here!" She finished cheerfully as he turned to go, and Law shook his head in amusement, a smirk on his face.

"Indeed." Leaving the desk and heading to the door, he missed the girl face palm herself.

Knocking on the door, he heard a man call 'Come in!' and he entered. A single desk, with the man behind it, faced him. He had a long, white beard, a pair of spectacles on his face. His face was weathered with age, but not unkindly. The older man wore a white lab coat, underneath that was a plain black shirt and jeans.

"Please come in." Dr. Jolly gestured to the chair that faced him. Law obliged, relaxing into the chair. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Christian-ya's mother is ill, correct?" Law wasn't one to beat around the bush, preferring to state his objective bluntly, and Dr. Jolly was taken aback minutely.

"Well," He removed his spectacles, folding the sides and placing them on his desk, "I'm afraid I abide to patient confidentiality-"

"I'm a doctor as well." Law said. "Christian-ya approached me asking for work so he could pay for her medicine. He also mentioned paying you back."

Deciding Law was already involved with the boy enough to trust him, he nodded with a sigh. "She has cystic fibrosis. As a doctor I'm sure you understand the severity of this."

"It has no cure." Law nodded, familiar with the condition.

"Susanna's had to make several unexpected visits to the hospital, with costly prescriptions for medications and overnight stays. Unfortunately, they can't afford the best medicine, and so I've had to settle for giving her the lower quality stuff."

"The boy lost his father?" He questioned, resting his chin in his hand. Dr. Jolly folded his hands on the desk, leaning forward.

"Robert was a known alcoholic. He would visit bars late at night so the family wouldn't know, but one night he had more drinks than usual, and jumped from the top of Shepherd's Peak in the mountains."

"He committed suicide?" Dr. Jolly nodded. "What are they're medical expenses?"

Frowning deeply, Dr. Jolly shook his head. "Pardon me saying, but I don't believe you have any right to know that information. Telling you his family situation is one thing but-"

"And if I were to pay off everything they owed?" Law proposed. Dr. Jolly's eyes widened, surprise breaking through.

"You are being serious?" Law nodded, smirking at the doctor's reaction. He just loved surprising people. They produced the most amusing reactions.

"I suppose you could call it an anonymous Christmas gift."

Wiping some sweat off his forehead, Dr. Jolly smiled a little. "Oh, the boy would be ecstatic! Honestly, even if he worked everyday of his life, it would take him years to pay back the full amount. The debt has exceeded 300,000 beli."

Nodding, Law stood. "I trust you won't say anything?" Standing as well, Dr. Jolly reached his hand out.

"Oh, goodness no! I'll let his mother tell him that after she receives the medication!" He chuckled, shaking hands with the pirate captain.

"I'll have the money brought over to you in the morning." Law said, turning to leave out the door.

* * *

A/N- Aww, Law's being kind...And Summer's going back to wrap her gifts X)

Please leave a review and let me know what you think! They really help me out!

See you in the next chapter!


	8. Christmas Eve Festival

A/N- We're almost to the last chapter! Excited yet? :)

 **Mei-** The receptionist's scene was one of my favorites XD Because we all know that that would be us if we ever met Law-sama. He's just too amazing. :)

 **Albertasteinthe21stgenius-** Thank you! There's only four or so more chapters, already written out, so there'll be no problem with continuing! :D

 **BrokenButStillStanding-** Oh, of course he does! Law's secretly adorable X)

Onwards!

* * *

While the rest of the crew was out, Casper had decided to do something special for everyone. It wasn't often that the cook got a chance to go shopping for himself, let alone go shopping alone at all. He had gathered the money given for gifts, plus a little extra from the jar of beli he kept in his room to be used for special occasions, and set out into the town.

The main square was quite beautiful, spacious and well taken care of. The large tree in the middle was a nice touch, decorated with a whole manner of ornaments.

As stoic as the cook had been before, he loved Christmas. Many would believe otherwise, but the older man was quite fond of the holiday. A time to reflect on what was most important in your life, spending time with friends and family, being happy and bonding. What was there not to love?

The carolers were singing, and he recalled his childhood, going door to door and performing for neighbors. He appreciated the music, heading towards the local dairy.

Stepping through the front door, a small bell chimed on the top of the door, and a woman looked up from the front counter.

"Welcome." She pushed her brown hair behind her ears. She looked to be in her forties or fifties, the wrinkles and laugh lines accentuating her warm eyes. Casper appreciated her motherly appearance before looking around, seeing the bottles of milk and dairy products lining the shelves.

"Quite a little shop you've got here." The cook said, and the woman bowed deeply.

"Thank you. My great-great-great grandfather started his business out of the back of his barn, and we've expanded the tradition ever since. Now, we supply most of the island with it's milk."

"Hmm, very interesting." He replied, his cook's knowledge deciding which of the products he needed for his plan. "Are your products family-made or has your business expanded to include machinery?" She shook her head vehemently.

"Oh, no sir. We've still retained the hand-milking tradition. We can accomplish all this," she gestured to the entirety of the store, "with a small staff of eight milking maids and three cheese makers."

"Well, then. Would you possibly have-"

"Eggnog?" She interrupted, and Casper raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, actually. How did you know?" She smiled.

"That's all anyone buys here during this time of year. It's a reasonable prediction." She moved to one of the refrigerated shelves behind the counter, taking out two bottles. Setting them on the counter, she allowed the cook to inspect them.

"These were freshly made this morning, milked straight from the cow and pasteurized last night."

Casper held up the bottle, shining the light through the bottle. "It appears to be very good quality." He commented. She bowed again.

"Thank you. Now, how many would you like? One bottle usually lasts a family of three for a day." At that, he smirked. Placing the large stack of beli on the counter, the woman's eyes widened in shock.

"I'll take fifty."

* * *

Being the day before Christmas, it was getting more difficult to find gifts. But the Heart Pirates had found the perfect presents for their nakama and hurried back to the little yellow submarine. The night before, everyone was busy preparing the gifts. Summer was trying to figure out how to wrap Reid's goggles, struggling to make the whole thing look nice when it was such a strange shape. Each time she tried, one of the corners would rip, or the tape wouldn't stay in place. She sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration. Staring at the infernal thing, she crossed her arms.

"How am I gonna wrap you?" She questioned aloud, leaning against her bed. The past day or so had been pretty hectic, and just this small moment of relaxation felt great. But, it wasn't necessarily a bad kind of busy. She'd still enjoyed all of it.

There were whispered voices that moved down the hall in front of her door. She smirked, wondering who had returned from gift shopping. Everyone was so secretive and it was like a game, who could keep their gifts secret the whole time and who would cave. Summer already knew from several men that Law and Bepo tended to break that rule every year.

The whole Christmas thing…Summer really liked it, at least so far. This was the first Christmas she could ever remember having. All that time sailing between islands in escape of the Marines and the Doctor and Viper, everyone really, she'd never thought to celebrate the holiday. While the town was partying the night away, Summer stayed hidden in the alley shadows as uniformed men passed obliviously.

Realizing she'd started staring off into space, she shook her head and focused on the gift again. Looking at her clock, she saw it was already 8:30 at night. Sighing, she continued the struggle with the wrapping paper.

* * *

Penguin and Shachi were walking back from the main square to the sub, carrying wrapped and covered gifts between them. They were one of the last ones to buy their things, and so they were late going back. There was an unusual amount of people milling around, but they attributed this to the late gift-buyers.

"You think everyone will like their gifts?" Shachi asked, and Penguin nodded.

"Oh yeah. They'll love them!"

Their backs to the town, they turned when they heard the tap of a microphone. A man walked up to the tree, which was a raised platform, wearing a fancy suit and topcoat. He looked down at the crowd, spreading his arms out.

"Welcome, one and all, to the Christmas Eve Festival!" He said, and the town people clapped and cheered. The two engineers exchanged a look, ignoring the rest of the speech as they ran back to the sub.

* * *

"Guys!" They burst through the mess deck, where a few people were still up. Law sat in his usual seat, drinking coffee. Raising an eyebrow he looked at his engineers critically.

"What has you yelling so late at night?" They pointed towards the direction of the town frantically, unable to sit still.

"There's a festival in the town tonight! Let's go!" The others started getting excited, thinking about the sake bottles just waiting to be consumed. Law shook his head in amusement, wondering where he found half his crew. Sometimes he thought they acted like three-year-olds.

"Alright, alright." He conceded with rolled eyes, and the engineers fist pumped the air. "Tell the rest of the crew, I suppose." He finished, but the men were already out the door. Law would rather be inside the warm sub, drinking coffee and reading medical journals, so he stayed put, letting the crew have their fun.

* * *

"Summer-chan! Open up! There's a festival in town!" Summer was jolted awake by the intense banging against her door. Groggily, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Looking around, she saw the successfully wrapped presents lying on the floor around her. She must have fallen asleep afterwards. The knocking continued and Summer went to answer. Opening the door, she was faced with two very hyper engineers.

"What is it?" She mumbled, hair sticking out in several places.

"We're all going to the festival." Penguin said.

"Festival?" She asked, stretching her stiff limbs out.

"Yeah, you should come. It'll be fun!"

"Have you ever been to a Christmas festival?"

"You can see the giant tree again and people will be singing, and there'll be food-"

"Ok, ok. I get it." She held up her hands, cutting off the endless rambling of her nakama. "I'll go."

"Come on then!" They grabbed her arms and she began to protest.

"Let me get dressed first!"

* * *

A/N-Casper's scene was fun to write too :D Because we all know the appetites of the Heart Pirates!

Please, leave a review and let me know what you thought! Also don't forget to check out my other stories and my collab story I did with AshGopal (only if you like crack fics though XD)

See you in the next chapter!


	9. Reminiscence

A/N- Only 3 more chapters to go after this! :D

 **Mei-** Law-sama is a presence to be reckoned with. I don't blame you XD

 **Apple Bloom-** Yes we shall :D

 **Albertasteinthe21stgenius-** I certainly hope you think so! :)

 **BrokenButStillStanding-** Well I, like most people, figure that if they have such respect for him like they do in the manga/anime, then he's got to be a nice guy at least sometimes. :) And thank you! That means a lot to me! :D

Onwards!

* * *

"Wow…" Summer whispered in awe, staring at the completely lit-up Christmas tree. It was quite dark since the sun had set, but the town was alive and shining, lights strung up and illuminating the square, where the tree was the centerpiece. The townspeople had lined against the railing to watch the festival.

Every other festival Summer had been to had involved lots of food and walking around to see what the celebration offered, but by the looks of this one, there was some kind of show going on. The crew couldn't see past the crowd of people, and Summer felt a little disappointed. From the sound of the clapping, cheering, and laughing, it sounded really good. The announcer kept announcing the acts, but without seeing it herself, Summer wasn't too interested in what he had to say.

"We can't exactly shove people out of the way." She commented, and Parker rubbed his chin in thought. The other looked stumped as well.

"Hmm…" He muttered, glancing around the square. He looked to the back sides of the buildings, and then got an idea. "Hey." He called, and everyone turned to him. Pointing upwards, he smiled. "If we can get on the roof, we'll have a clear view of the whole thing!"

Everyone agreed, and then began searching for a way to the top of the building. Blake found a large ladder leaning against a shop farther down, and they all climbed up. The roof was flat, and it was easy to sit and watch the square below.

"This is awesome." She said, grinning at the performers down below. There were dancers prancing around in the snow, which had been smoothed out to be a stage. The 9 ladies were dressed as swans, in sparkling dresses of blues and greens, whites and reds, with glittering masks and hair up in buns. The dance was elegant, to smooth and graceful music. The women of the crowd looked envious, but still pleased by the performance, and Summer knew that they wished to have the image of the women or the ability to dance as they did.

Summer's eyes were wide, beholding the dance before her. Everything was so bright and happy. The sight alone was heartwarming, and she was awestruck by everything in front of her. Sitting with her legs tucked beneath her, she sighed in delight.

The men dangled their legs over the side, half watching the performance, half watching Summer's reaction.

The ladies bowed low, and the crowd erupted into cheers and clapping. The Heart Pirates joined in, Summer the loudest and most enthusiastic. The announcer stepped back up on the platform, spreading his hands wide again.

"An excellent performance! Thank you to Mrs. Pritcher's Dance School." A woman who stood beside the tree gave a bow, and the crowd clapped for her.

"This is so cool!" Summer said, turning to the others. "Have you ever seen something like this before?"

Shachi shrugged. "Not really, but it is pretty good." Reid raised his hand.

"We had something like this in my hometown, but not to this extent. We would go around and sing songs to people in their houses, and sometimes the kids would have snowman-building competitions in the center of town."

"Did you ever win?" Summer chuckled, and Reid made a face.

"My older brother would always kick the head off of mine before I got to finish." He could see the pity in her eyes, and he shrugged. "He was kind of a jerk."

"You have an older brother?" She asked. They didn't normally talk about their family, though Summer always suspected they were pretty much loners. He shrugged again.

"Yeah. Let's see, if I'm 23…" He counted on his fingers. "…than that makes him 27. He was the oldest, I was the youngest."

"I'm an only child." Parker said, flashing a grin. "I always got whatever I wanted!" He gave a thumbs up, and Blake smacked him.

"Baka, you were a problem child." Parker rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish look about him.

"H-hey, no need to be saying those things."

Summer laughed, attention suddenly drawn to the crowd below. They were clapping again. The group of boys who had performed all bowed before walking out of the stage area. The announcer emerged once again.

"Thank you, boys! That was a great show! Now, up next is a favorite, if I do say so myself, so please give them a warm welcome!"

A troupe of men gathered on the snow, positioning themselves in specific places, crouching into low poses.

"This outta be good." Blake said, and everyone's attention was rapt on the show once more.

* * *

He'd tried to stay away. Claiming he had important things to do, medical journals to read, swordplay to practice. He'd said he wasn't a big fan of Christmas, and he even believed it himself. The whole crew had gone off to the town already, leaving him, Bepo, and Jean Bart with the sub to themselves.

So why was Law sitting on the roof opposite to the rest of his crew? Honestly, he didn't know himself. All he'd told Bepo was that he had one more thing to buy before Christmas, and then away he'd slipped. The bear hadn't followed, to Law's relief. It wouldn't do to have him see his Captain watching…a Christmas festival in secret.

He had to admit that the festival was very engaging. The dancers and singers all performed wonderfully, and there were times when he even enjoyed parts of it, but the majority of his attention was set on the Christmas tree. The tall, glittering and brightly-lit centerpiece of the whole production.

He didn't know what it was, the decoration or what it symbolized, but it all made him think of one person. That one damn idiot that would stick with him forever. It only served to hurt more. To remind him of that which he'd lost.

In the short time Corazon had taken him from hospital to hospital, he'd told him everything about him, revealed his fears and thoughts, knowing the older man would understand. His hatred at first melted away as soon as he'd acknowledged how much pain he knew he was in…He could trust Corazon, and in turn it had seemed that trust went both ways. Corazon loved Christmas, as he'd once told Law. Even as a young teen, he could remember how he'd brighten up when he got the chance to talk about it. It seemed it was his favorite topic.

He'd always promised to celebrate the next Christmas with Law, so that he wouldn't be alone when the holiday came. But he'd died, and Law was carted away. It had never happened. Either way, he'd been alone in the end. Clenching his fists, he thought about the cruelty of it all…

Then his gaze drifted to the men and woman that watched the show below in delight. Summer seemed to be enjoying it the most, mouth open in a wide smile, clapping ecstatically when a performance would end. Shachi and Penguin kept pushing against each other, probably arguing about something useless. Parker and Blake just watched, secretly drinking from sake bottles-no doubt stolen. Reid and Liam were laying on their stomachs, heads supported by their hands. This image of happiness, of his crew enjoying themselves…

It was then he thought that maybe, truly, he wasn't actually alone.

* * *

Later, after the show had ended, Law leapt from the roof back onto the ground without anyone seeing him. Save for one soul.

"Mr.!" A small voice called, causing him to turn around. Christopher, the boy who had offered to clean the sub, came running through the crowd, a bright smile on his face. He huffed from all the running, taking a second to catch his breath.

"I heard from Dr. Jolly that you paid for my mom's medicine! Did you really?"

Ah, yes. Christian. He'd almost forgotten about the whole ordeal after paying for his mother's debt. Law thought back to when he'd discussed the matter of his mother with Dr. Jolly, and when he'd brought over the expenses the way the old man teared up and dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief.

Of course, Law being an excellent surgeon as he was, he couldn't resist looking into his mother's incurable disease. Such illnesses presented him with some challenge, but removing the deadly blockages of mucus and toying with the hormones and enzymes that so greatly produced the stuff in her body was essentially a routine operation.

He'd gone to the house in a doctor's garb, covering his tattoos and such, so she'd never know that a Supernova of the worst generation was selflessly curing a total stranger out of the kindness of his heart. In all honesty, he wasn't sure why the impulse had presented itself in the first place. That didn't stop him from revealing who he was, however. That just wouldn't do.

Though, it seemed that his mother hadn't told him yet that she was cured. Most likely in an attempt to surprise him on Christmas day, claiming a Christmas miracle no doubt. All the better for Law, since an extremely thankful and emotional Christian would probably bring attention to the pirate. Unwanted attention. Either way, he had to deal with the boy now.

Glancing around to make sure no one heard, Law crouched down beside him.

"Keep it a secret, alright?" The boy nodded vehemently. About to stand and leave, Law was stunned by the boy's arms wrapping around him. For such a small boy, he certainly packed a lot of force behind his hugs. It almost knocked the wind straight out of Law.

"Thank you so much, Mr.!" He squeezed him, making Law feel extremely uncomfortable with the nice gesture. Before long, the boy released him, waving happily before disappearing into the crowd. Standing and brushing himself off, he tried to forget the whole experience for good.

He was Trafalgar Law, a Supernova and Shichibukai, after all.

* * *

A/N- So, what'd you think?

Leave me a review and let me know your thoughts! I love to hear them! :D

Don't forget to read my other stories and my collab with AshGopal. That one's on her profile page so go check it out!

See you in the next chapter!


	10. When I Was Young

A/N- Two chapters to go! :D

 **AshGopal-** Thank you, Ash-sama. I think you'll love Christian a little more in this chapter too XD *Glances around inconspicuously* I wouldn't know anything about withdrawals. Nope Nothing at all. :l

 **Mei-** Actually, keep it a secret, but I tweaked the chapter just for you XD Shh, don't tell anyone. Secret Christmas gift.

 **Apple Bloom-** I would love to see him get all flustered and blushy when a little kid comes around to hug him :D He would be adorable :) (And possibly slightly murderous. Let's be honest) XD

 **Alberasteinthe21stgenius-** When you are as adorable as Law, no matter how sadistic he tries to be, small children's hugs gravitate to him XD

Onwards!

* * *

"Now, please give a warm welcome to the Men's Choreography Team!" The announcer called, stepping down from the platform and signaling someone to cue music. The men were crouched low, waiting for the beat. Summer waited expectantly, and smiled when the Christmas melodies rang out in the square.

They rose, leapt and pranced across the snow, gracefully landing on their feet and twirling in time with the music. She rocked back and forth as they did their routine. The ten men, dressed in fancy suits, giving them the appearance of royalty, smiled and waved to loved ones as they went, and several girlfriends called out to them in encouragement.

"Think you could ever dance like that?" Summer asked Shachi, and he waved it off.

"Pfft, of course I could. These guys are amateurs. Their twirls are too fast to match the music, and they're not pointing their toes." He answered, eyes widening and hands clapping over his mouth before he could make things worse. Summer's mouth was open in shock, slow changing into a sly grin.

"And how do you know that, Shachi-kun?" She questioned provocatively. The others were leaning closer, smirks of their own in place. He glanced between his friends, seeing no mercy in any of their eyes.

"I…may have…takenballetclasseswhenIwasyounger." He finished in a rush, closing his eyes in an effort to stop the humiliation. The others laughed, rolling onto their backs.

"Dude," Parker wiped tears from his eyes, chuckling with painful sides, "you've totally lost your man card."

"My mother made me! I was six! And it's not as bad as Penguin's secret!" He cried, throwing his friend under the bus. The man in question grabbed him by his neck and tackled him.

"Don't you dare say anything!" He threatened, shaking him up and down. The others wrestled the two off each other, with Shachi clutching his neck.

"What's your big secret Penguin?" Blake asked curiously. Penguin crossed his arms, turning his head away with a pout.

"No way. Not gonna say anything." Shachi pointed to his best friend.

"When Penguin was ten, he got his tongue stuck on a frozen pole in front of the school. Everyone saw and that's how he got the nickname popsicle!"

"You know I hate that name!" He cried trying to get the engineer, but his friends held him back.

The others were all busting up, unable to control their sides from hurting. They rolled around on the roof in amusement.

"One time, I thought chickens were called cluckies, and so I would always ask if we were having fried clucky for dinner. My mom told the whole town and they always brought it up after that." Blake recounted, a small smirk on his face at the ridiculousness of it all.

"What about you, Liam?" Summer asked, and he scratched the back of his head.

"I accidentally went into the girl's room in my preschool, and all the girls stayed away from me after that."

"Reid?" Summer turned to the mechanic. He chuckled, thinking back.

"One time I got my hands on a bottle of food coloring, and I thought it was 'magic dust' when I was little, that's what my mom always called it, and I thought that by putting it into the town well it would give everyone the ability to fly. I actually just made everything they used water with green."

"Oh my God, really?" She asked, and he nodded critically.

"Oh! I've got one!" Parker spoke up. "When I was 2, I used to think I was a superhero, and so one day I got ahold of my mom's underwear, put it on my head, and ran around the whole town with a cape screaming that I was 'Captain Wedgie.'" Everyone wailed, sides hurting worse from laughing so much. Summer was surprised the townspeople below hadn't started questioning things, though the music and applause was rather loud.

"What about you, Summer-chan?" Liam asked, and she slowly calmed down from laughing.

"Me?" She thought long and hard, trying to come up with something.

"Oh, right." He scratched his head in embarrassment, forgetting about her tragic past for a moment. "Sorry…It's alright, Summer, I just forgot is all…" She laughed, waving it aside.

"No, actually, I just thought of something, though it's not really of when I was a kid." They all listened intently. "When I was in Impel Down, when I was escaping, I wasn't sure how to escape. I was still wearing my prison uniform and…"

She went on to describe her escape, how she had to strip down to her underwear in front of killers and dangerous criminals, how the elevator code was 1-2-3-4, and how the guard said that she was the very definition of what it meant to be a marine. That seemed to be the best part.

"He told one of the most wanted pirates that they were the definition of 'justice?' Oh, that's priceless!" Shachi rolled around on the roof, unable to contain his amusement. The rest were doing similar things, holding their sides and banging on the wood. Suddenly, the cheers and claps from the crowd below signaled that another act had ended, and the announcers voice came back over them.

"I wonder how many more acts there are." Summer said, and they shrugged. Either way, the show was proving to be very good. Though, admittedly, they were mostly entertaining themselves with stories and whatnot, though no one was actually complaining about that.

"I wonder why the Captain and Bepo didn't come." Parker rubbed his chin, pondering his own question.

"Captain doesn't like Christmas, right?"

"That's just ridiculous, Penguin. Who doesn't like Christmas?" Summer shook her head.

"No really, the Captain never seems to like the holiday." Penguin continued. "He let's us celebrate, but he's always on the sidelines."

"Maybe he's had a bad experience with Christmas?" Reid suggested.

"Who knows? All I know is that Captain tends to keep to himself. A real Christmas miracle would be to get him to celebrate with us." Penguin settled himself back on the roof, intending to watch the rest of the show.

Those words had Summer thinking. She thought about the sweater, and how she'd thought it was the perfect gift. Now, with this new information, she wasn't too sure. The Captain didn't like Christmas? Then why did he participate in the gift exchange? Everyone up to this point made it sound like he enjoyed it with them. All of a sudden, the small article of clothing just didn't seem like enough.

Putting herself in a more comfortable position, she dangled her legs off the side of the roof, but the heels of her boots hits something hanging there. Looking down when it jingled minutely, she saw it was a decoration. A sprig of mistletoe attached to a tiny bell to be more precise.

She glanced around. Everyone else was focused on the show below, and so she reached down and detached it from the roof, secretly stuffing it into her pocket. It wouldn't do to have one of them know she had it, lest they try to kiss her when she least expected it. That would do no good at all. She doubted Law would approve.

Then a thought crossed her mind, though it had before on several occasions. What exactly…were they, her and Law? They were obviously more than friends, as the evident few instances they'd kissed proved. The thought alone made her blush, though the cold temperatures would mask that fact. For once, she was thankful for the frigid air. Still, Summer didn't know what kind of…thing, she had going on with the Captain. Did he even know? It would be too embarrassing to directly ask him…

She sighed inaudibly, everything was too complicated. Though, her resolve to make this Christmas a memorable one for a certain pirate hadn't lessened. In fact, perhaps it would give her the opportunity to test the waters. Deciding that she needed to man up, or woman up in this instance, she set her mind to not care about the emotional part of the issue. She would get the answers she desired, even if she would die of embarrassment in the process.

* * *

A/N- I loved writing the funny stories from their childhoods XD I was cracking up the whole time just writing the damn chapter!

Anyways, please leave a review and let me know what you thought! I'd really appreciate it!

See you in the next chapter!


	11. A Feast Fit For Pirates

A/N-We're so close! Christmas is tomorrow! In the meantime, enjoy the second to last chapter :D

 **AshGopal-** I get them from the amazing reviewers and not having any sort of plan before I start writing XD The story basically writes itself.

 **WolfChild23-** I'm glad you enjoyed it! :D

 **Apple Bloom-** Thank you! I shall! :)

 **Albertasteinthe21stgenius-** We shall soon find out! ;D

 **Mei-** You're very welcome, my friend! :D I had the greatest time coming up with their little stories XD It was so much fun!

Onwards!

* * *

It was morning. Summer slowly drifted awake from her slumber. Her joints popped as she stretched, enjoying the painful pleasure the action brought. A large yawn was forced through her being. Glancing at the clock, it showed the time was 6:43 in the morning. And then she remembered.

It was _Christmas_ morning.

Instantly, she was awake. The thought of opening presents sent excited energy coursing through her, and she threw off the covers. Pajamas still on, she opened her door to see a small wreath hanging from the wood. There were similar ones adorning every door down the hall. Someone must have placed them there the night before, past when everyone had gone to sleep.

Adrenaline still rushing, she ran out of the room and down the hall, socks making her slide with each step. Left turn, right turn, another right, and…there! The door to the mess deck was open, and she could hear people talking inside. A wide smile on her face, she emerged into the room.

Already, at least half the crew was awake and holding mugs of hot chocolate. The rest were in similar states of dress, night shirts and long sleeping pants were basically all anyone was wearing. They smiled and greeted her when she entered, and she waved and smiled back. Casper, who was just about the only normally dressed person awake, came from the kitchen holding a steaming mug of the chocolate drink.

"Here, something to warm you up." She took it gingerly, not wanting to spill it. Taking a seat at one of the tables, she looked around at the decorations. The tree in the corner had dozens of presents underneath, overflowing beneath some of the nearby tables. They were wrapped in reds and greens, even sparkling blues and yellows. One, and she had a sneaking suspicion that it was either Penguin's or Shachi's gift, was wrapped in paper that proclaimed 'Happy Birthday!' Those words were crossed out and written above it was 'Merry Christmas' in black marker.

She was glad she'd remembered to place the gifts under the tree late the previous night, though she'd intentionally left out Law's gift. Something made her want to give it to him personally, so she'd go by his quarters later that night to give it to him.

A few others trickled into the mess deck, one by one, as they all woke up at later times. Some came yawning, others with excited smiles. They hadn't touched the presents yet, deciding to wait until everyone had arrived to open them. Summer supposed it was another tradition aboard the yellow submarine. Either way, she could wait to open presents. The hot chocolate was a welcome distraction in the meantime.

Law was one of the last ones awake, slowly shambling into the mess deck with half-lidded eyes albeit properly dressed in his usual clothes. Several men were about to ask to start, but he immediately held up his hand.

"Coffee first." Casper took the hint and disappeared inside the kitchen to start a pot. The men couldn't hide their disappointment.

He took a seat at one of the tables on the edge of the wall, whereas the rest of the crew had moved them out of the way to sit on the floor. They chatted happily, waiting for the coffee to be ready, anticipation dripping from every smile.

Summer's leg bounced up and down, anxiously awaiting Casper's return. They could hear small sounds from the kitchen, but they had no idea how long it would actually take before the cook emerged. She just couldn't sit still.

Law had his hat placed over his eyes, leaning back in the seat, giving the impression he'd already fallen back asleep. The crew knew better.

Finally, the kitchen door opened and Casper held a cup of coffee for the Captain. The scent made him sit up, and he accepted the mug with a nod. Taking a sip, he looked over to Reid. He would be in charge of distributing gifts. With a nod, Reid broke out into a wide smile.

"Alright! Let's get started!" The men cheered, shifting positions in anticipation of a gift. Grabbing from the pile, Reid pulled one gift out at a time, saying the name of the recipient and tossing it to them.

"Blake." He catch his gift, a green-wrapped rectangle-shaped thing. "Miles" He tossed another gift. "Parker. Bepo."

Each person caught the intended gift, and after several people had gotten one, Reid gestured to them to open them.

"Well, tear 'em open!" The men went to town, ripped paper and tossing the remains behind them somewhere. After the paper was gone, shouts of 'All right!' and 'Awesome!' were exclaimed. Blake held up his gift.

"I got a tool kit!" He inspected it over, pleased with the included drill bits and wrenches. Over to the side, Parker held up a…skull?

"Whoever got me the sacrificial skull, I love you forever." He announced, turning it every which way.

"Are you sure it's sacrificial?" Shachi asked a little hesitantly. Parker nodded enthusiastically.

"See the marks here and here?" He pointed to parts of the item. "They're intended for candles and oils during rituals. It's totally real, too!" Summer supposed that to anyone on a normal Christmas morning, celebrating the fact that one got a real part of the skeletal system would be a little strange. But this was the Heart Pirates. They didn't do things _normal._

Bepo unwrapped his, holding up a headband. "It's a *hachimaki." He said with a smile, tying it around his head. The ends dangled down his back, but Bepo seemed pretty pleased with it.

After those men had opened their gifts, Reid sent another round out, this time several more than the first wave. Paper was torn, thrown to the side, where it quickly began to pile up, and they fist-pumped in happiness, shouted gleefully, etc.

"Summer." Reid called her name, to her surprise, and she had to put down her mug of hot chocolate to catch the present. It was small, wrapped in ordinary blue paper and tied together with a silver ribbon. She shook it gently and there were a few soft thumps against the box. Bursting with excitement, she ripped open the thing, seeing a shoe box on the inside.

Lifting the lid, she gasped. Inside was a fuzzy pair of slippers. But more importantly, the fronts were made to look like the faces of panda bears with small little ears poking up at the ends. She lifted them gently, a look of awe about her.

"They're adorable!" She hugged them, feeling how soft they were. A few men chuckled nearby, but Summer ignored them. Tossing the box into the pile of wrapping paper, she slipped them on and inspected them on her feet. "They're so warm!" She exclaimed.

"I hope they're the right size." Blake scratched his head, and she held up her feet in glee.

"They're perfect! Thank you!" He blushed deeply, but a certain engineer's shout brought everyone's attention away.

"Cheeseballs!" Shachi shouted, holding a gigantic barrel-shaped container of the stuff. It was about half of his height, and ridiculously large. Summer shook her head, watching as he picked the huge thing up. "Suck it, Penguin!"

"Baka, I'm the one who got it for you!"

"Oh."

Reid tossed out more gifts. Seeing his own name on one of them, Summer saw that it was hers, he placed it to the side, still giving out other's gifts. Once he'd passed them out, he picked up his own. Everyone unwrapped them at once, and Summer watched Reid's face intently, hoping he'd like his gift.

She didn't have anything to worry about, however, because as soon as he saw them he was gazing at them lovingly. "These are awesome! My old ones were getting really beat up!" Taking off the old goggles, he placed the new ones on his head, adjusting it so it fit. "It even has anti-fog mechanics, so it won't cloud up in humid environments!" He seemed pleased, which made Summer happy. She was glad she'd gotten the right thing.

Casper had been tossed a gift. He opened it slower than the others had, but still with a smile. Taking off the last of the paper, he saw it was a blade sharpener, with settings for smooth and serrated blades. "This'll be handy." He said, inspecting it every which way.

Summer glanced at the Captain, seeing him watching his men with cool eyes. She wondered why he didn't like to participate in the festivities. He hadn't said much during the whole exchange. What had happened to make him dislike Christmas? She couldn't imagine anything being that severe.

"Penguin" Reid said, tossing him a gift. Summer froze up, seeing the nicely wrapped red box with the white box on top. It was hers. The gift to Penguin.

He tore up all her hard work, exposing the thin black box underneath. Summer covered her face with her hands, not wanting to watch as he slowly removed the lid. Smile slowly disappearing, his eyes widened to the point they were the size of saucers, and he gently lifted the article of clothing up by the thumb and forefinger of each hand. It quickly drew the attention of the others.

"This is-" He stopped, gazing at the panties with wonder and awe. The red-trimmed undergarment was held up high, for all to see. The crew hollered and whistled, but Summer refused to look at the company. Thankfully, their attention was directed at Penguin and his spectacular gift, and no one thought that it could be from Summer. The engineers' faces both had turned a deep shade of red, the color of tomatoes.

"What?" Shachi asked, falling to his knees at the panties which Penguin continued to hold up. He reached out, hesitant to touch it, as if one caress would make it crumble away. The reverence with which they handled it was almost…creepy. "You've been given heaven itself, Penguin!"

"Shachi, I think I've died." The men's noses began to bleed with an intensity none of the pirates had ever seen before, and they instantly passed out.

"Hahahaha!" The company laughed, rolling on their sides with amusement. Their laughter made Summer peek behind her fingers, and unfortunately for her, she looked straight at Law. Who was conveniently watching her with a smirk. She hid behind her hands again, wishing that the Captain hadn't realized she was the one who'd given the gift. Nosy bastard.

* * *

After several hours, all the present had been opened. Bepo had gotten a nice packet of wrapped fish, which he excitedly gave to Casper to cook for him that night. Summer got a new, nicer camera so she could take pictures of their adventures. Parker had gotten a vial of blood, supposedly from a virgin, to use for rituals. After the two engineers had regained consciousness, they'd immediately run off to their room to hang the panties on the wall, a symbol to their miraculous Christmas day. Summer only hid her face again, hoping no one would ever make the connection between her and the present.

Law had received a medical book from Liam, who had a better knowledge of what kind of collection the man had behind his bedroom door. Summer could never understand how he could read all those things for hours on end, but hey, Law wasn't exactly an average guy. His second gift was a new set of surgical knives for the infirmary. He'd smirked in satisfaction at the sharp blades.

Casper had surprised the crew with bottles of eggnog, something Summer had never tried before. One sip had her hooked, and she'd downed the whole thing in less than two minutes. Casper shook his head, going into the back to get another for her. He warned it was her last one.

Idly, she noticed that everyone had gotten three gifts, except for her. She wondered who had been her third person, but shrugged it off. Perhaps they couldn't find anything, and she was alright with that. She'd already gotten much more than she'd ever imagined. The sentiment behind it all was enough for her.

The crew had a light lunch, and then Summer and Casper prepared for the gigantic dinner they'd have that night. There was a turkey, a ham, and of course Bepo's fish. They worked for hours, stuffing the turkey and glazing the ham with a honey-brown sugar spread. Summer was salivating the whole time, and Casper smacked her hand with his wooden spoon a few times when she tried to sneak a taste.

As it was, she had to smack _his_ hand every time one of the fruitcakes they were making for desert came around. It was funny to see his sheepish expression every time he got caught.

* * *

Hours later, with the submarine filled with the heavenly scent of rich food, dinner was finally finished. The whole time they had to ward away hungry crewmen looking for first peaks of the food, but Summer stood guard with all her being, holding her wooden spoon weapon with skill. One look at her determination sent even the bravest of men back to their rooms.

Most of the men stayed in the mess deck and talked about the festival the night before, or about their gifts.

"I'm telling you, those flute-playing guys were the best. It reminded me of my hometown." Parker said, and Blake shook his head.

"They were pipers, not flutes." He waved it off.

"Whatever. They were definitely the best."

After she was satisfied that no one else would try to sneak in, she returned and helped Casper take out the turkey, which smelled delicious. The ham still had another hour to cook, but they would begin eating until then.

Grabbing the silverware and fancy plates, Summer exited the kitchen, only to stop when everyone was already seated. They'd pushed the tables together to make one long table. She sighed, shaking her head with a smile.

"You act like you haven't eaten for a month." She said, handing the place setting down, and they gave a chuckle. They passed them to the right, until everyone had a plate, cup, and silverware for the food.

After that, she went back inside to help Casper move all the items of food onto the table. They'd made quite a lot, and there almost wasn't enough room to fit everything along with the plates. They scooted a few more tables over, just to put pots and pans on, and everything was out at that point. Casper brought out the last item, the turkey, in a covered silver platter. Setting it in the middle, he unveiled the bird, and everyone cheered at the golden brown meat.

Law, of course sat in the middle, the rest of the crew seated around him. Naturally, Casper was the one to initiate the feast, gesturing to the food.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Dig in." Instantly the men attacked the food like it was the only thing left to eat in the world, and slices of the turkey were gone in seconds. Summer had taken a seat further down the table, loading her plate with mashed potatoes and steaming rolls.

The turkey was quickly eaten, but Summer and Casper had known this would happen, and so they brought out the ham once it was gone. The ham was eaten in about the same short time, if not quicker, that the turkey had. The men laughed, cheered, gave toasts to each other and to ridiculous things, and it was all a very happy mood all around.

Even after the food had been eaten, they remained at the table and talked. Law, however, excused himself early on. This didn't go past Summer, and she watched him go in concern. He truly didn't like to participate during the Christmas holiday, if he could help it. She felt sadness, and pity, for the Captain. He didn't stick around long in her head, though, since several people were trying to talk to her at once. Still, he hovered at the edge of her memory all the same.

* * *

After everyone decided to retire for the night, Summer helped Casper clean up the mess of the kitchen and mess deck. The numerous dishes had to be cleaned. Tag teaming the effort made it less work and time for the both of them, and within an hour the whole kitchen was washed and spotless once more.

"Get on to bed now, lass." Casper said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Summer suppressed a yawn, trying not to appear as tired as she felt.

"Are you kidding? I could stay up all night." A second yawn caught her, and the cook chuckled.

"I can see that. Now, off you go." He turned her in the direction of the door, gently pushing her forwards. Giving a glancing smile, she hung up her apron and pushed through the door.

* * *

A/N- Any guesses as to what will happen next? :D Leave your thoughts in a review!

Don't forget to read my other stories as well, and tune in tomorrow for the final chapter!

See you in the last chapter! :D


	12. Gliding On Moonlight

A/N- Aaaaannnd...here's the final chapter of this little Christmas short! :D And so I wish everyone a very merry, very fluff-filled Christmas! XD

 **AshGopal-** Ah, yes. Were you waiting for the fluff this whole time? :D Well, you are right X)

 **Albertasteinthe21stgenius-** I was salivating just writing the chapter XD

 **Mei-** Hmm...not quite ;) But there shall be a nice, fluffy moment, don't you worry!

Onwards!

* * *

The halls were relatively quiet, though Summer could hear men behind their doors assumably trying out their new gifts. Summer had put her camera and shoes in her room earlier in the day. She was rather excited to see what the camera could do.

With a small gasp, she had forgotten all about Law's gift. She supposed now was the best time to bring it to him. Passing by Shachi's and Penguin's room, she could hear them arguing.

"If you don't think that the drummers were the best part of the festival, we can't be friends anymore." Penguin said.

"Fine! Then don't ever talk to me again! And the dancers were better!"

"No, baka!" She shook her head. Grinning, she thought of how childish the two were. Continuing down the hall, she approached her door, stopping when she saw something tucked behind the wreath. It was an envelope, plain and white. Raising an eyebrow, she grabbed it. All it said was 'Summer' on the front. Glancing around, she slipped inside her room before tearing the top open.

There was a small white card on the inside, with plain black printed letters. It read:

.

 _Summer,_

 _If you want your final gift, go to the lake on the north side of town at midnight._

 _._

She flipped the card over several times just to be sure, but there wasn't a name on it anywhere. She didn't recognize the handwriting either. Who had sent it? She panicked, glancing at the clock and realizing it was already 11:44. She only had 15 minutes to get to the lake!

"Shit…" She muttered, scrambling to put on her jacket and boots. Setting the envelope on the desk, she got properly dressed and grabbed her bag. It still had Law's present tucked inside, but she would worry about that later. If anything, she could always give it to him the next day. A late present was better than no present at all.

Taking off out the door and down the hall, she hoped she'd make it on time.

* * *

Outside, there was a full moon. This greatly helped her find her way down the path out of the town. It was snowing lightly, but at least it wasn't a blizzard. She shivered at the thought of being stuck in the cave with her Captain that day. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to retain some warmth. She was glad Law had gotten her the jacket so long ago. It really helped against the wind on these winter islands.

She topped a hill, looking down on a small valley. She gasped, seeing the small lake below. It glistened, completely frozen over from the cold. It was surrounded by a forest-like span of trees, as if Mother Nature had tried hiding a small piece of beauty away from prying eyes. Summer smiled, slowly making her way down the side of the hill.

No one was around, at least from what the blonde could tell. There weren't any voices. No footprints that she could see. Walking up to the edge of the lake, she stopped, admiring the beauty. Suddenly, something cold and hard smacked against the back of her head.

"Hey!" She said, recognizing it to be a snowball. Turning, she didn't see anyone. Narrowing her eyes, she stooped down to make a snowball of her own. "So it's gonna be like that, huh?" She called out, slowly scanning the surrounding trees.

To her surprise, Law's voice responded. "I thought you were better than that, Summer-ya, getting caught off guard that easily. It's not like you." He mocked, and she smirked.

"Well, you know me. Always full of surprises." She held the snowball close to her chest, prepared to throw it at a moment's-

 _Smack!_ Another one hit her in the side. Gasping aloud, she dropped her own weapon. It had been too fast for her to pinpoint exactly where it had come from, and so his whereabouts were still hidden.

"That's pretty low, picking on a poor, innocent girl." She laughed, brushing the snow off her jacket. Grabbing another snowball, she started circling the lake. Her attempts at mock pity didn't go unnoticed.

"You make it too easy." He taunted, and she thought she'd pinpointed his position by the direction of his voice. Smirking, she stalked closer to the place as silently as she could.

"Don't get too cocky." She warned, still approaching the tree she believed him to be behind. "Ha!" She raised her weapon, sprinting around the tree. No one was there. "Dammit." She muttered, looking around in confusion. She was sure he was there!

"Looking for me?" A voice asked behind her. As she turned, a snowball was shoved unceremoniously into her face.

"Ah! It's cold!" She stumbled backwards, wiping away the snow from her face. Law chuckled, walking closer to her as she rid herself of the cold substance. Her face was bright red from the unexpected temperature drop to her face.

"Not. Fair." She said, and Law shook his head.

"Haven't you learned by now that pirates don't do 'fair.'" He made quotation marks in the air. She sighed.

"Still. A snowball to the face is pretty dastardly."

"Hmm." Was all he said before turning and walking towards the lake.

"Hey, where are you going?" She started towards him, and he glanced back with a smirk.

"Don't you want your gift?" He led her back to the lake, where she saw two boxes sitting on the ground. Summer hadn't noticed them there before, and Law stooped down to pick them up.

"For you." He said, holding one out to her. She grabbed it gently. Hesitantly lifting the lid, as if there was some sort of trap inside, her eyes widened when she saw what was inside.

 _'_ _How could he…'_

"Ice skates?" She questioned, hope flowing into her voice as her smile widened. He chuckled. Helping her lift them out of the box, since she wasn't doing much besides stare at them, he held them out.

"I assume you can tie your own shoes, yes?" He joked, and she smiled a little. But she remembered a very important fact, and her voice sounded full of dejection.

"But…I don't know how to ice skate. I never learned." He raised an eyebrow.

"Why do you think I had you meet me all the way out here? In the middle of the night? At a lake?" Her eyes filled with questions and that rejuvenated hope.

"You'll…teach me?"

"It's my job as the Captain to teach you things, yes. After all, there may come a day when learning how could save your life." He said sarcastically, and she took the shoes from him.

"Well, I suppose you'd better teach me then. Don't want to die anytime soon." She went along with it, only because she knew pressing his buttons about it would only make him retreat into himself more. He had a tendency of doing that. They both put on and laced their shoes, and Law waited on the edge of the ice. She held out her hands to keep balance, but her body wobbled every once in awhile.

"How do people not break their ankles on these things?" She questioned, to which Law laughed.

"Because they aren't as clumsy as you are." She pouted, huffing a little. He had a point. But that didn't mean he had to point it out so blatantly. His ever-present smirk was kind of getting on her nerves. Obviously, this was just _so_ much fun for him.

Taking small steps on the death shoes, she inched her way to the ice. Once the tips of the shoes touched, she stopped. "You're sure I won't die?"

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed her upper arm and dragged her onto the ice before she could do anything. Her arms flailed wildly.

"Wait! No, I'm not readyyyyy!" She cried, even as he pushed her forward towards the center of the lake. She stiffened her legs, trying to keep balance as she slowed to a stop on the ice.

"Keep your center of balance in your hips, not your legs." Law said, skating smoothly beside her. She reached out to him for support, but he glided just out of reach.

"Hey!" As she leaned, her balance began to shift, and she flailed her arms furiously to prevent from falling. Somehow, she managed to stop herself.

"Don't over adjust, just let your body relax." He stopped, facing her with crossed arms.

"That's easier said than done." She said through gritted teeth, focusing on not falling on her face. Her legs wobbled as she tried keeping them straight. She looked up, seeing his smirking face. She narrowed her eyes with a pout.

"You're not a very good teacher, by the way." He chuckled, not moving from his spot.

"The best way to learn is through experience." Seeing her continue to try to keep her legs as straight as possible, moving them back and forth to try to go forward, he sighed. "Summer-ya, at some point you're going to fall. Everyone does. Stop trying to prevent it and just push forward."

"Fine." She cried, preparing herself for impact as she dug one point of the skate into the ice and pushed off. She wobbled off balance on her one foot and teetered forwards. "Ah!" She cried, sticking her arms out to catch herself.

Luckily, Law was there to catch her, as much as her pride took a hit to admit it. He righted her, gliding away again to watch. Sighing heavily, she looked to him.

"Alright, what's the first thing I have to do?"

"Let your legs relax. They're too rigid and will strain from use." Swallowing, she tried doing as she was told. Immediately, she lost balance, legs going back and forth to try to regain her center of gravity. Law wasn't there to catch her, and so she fell straight onto her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. His gentle chuckle greeted the now-pervasive cold to his belly.

"Ah…" She moaned, trying to push herself off the ground. "What…did I do…wrong?" She ground out.

"You didn't compensate the change in center of gravity." He finally drifted forward, stopping just before her and helped her up. She welcomed the help, but she'd be damned if she ever admitted it.

"It'd be easier if you actually helped me." She pursed her lips, and Law chuckled in amusement.

"I suppose with your clumsiness I'll have to." She ignored the jab, focusing instead on how his hands began positioning her body. She was conscious of every touch, every shift of his body.

"Keep your head straight, legs slightly bent, and don't hold your arms to your body. Relax a little." She nodded, not looking him in the eye. Summer was sure he'd say something about it, but if he noticed he gave no indication.

"Now how do I go forward?" She asked, deciding to focus on the ice skating part of what was going on. She was sure her cheeks were going red again. She hoped he'd account that to the cold weather.

"Push forward with the side of your skate, not the tip. You'll just lose balance again." He demonstrating, pulling her along with him. She froze up again, and he stopped, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Sorry." She muttered, relaxing her body as best she could. He grabbed her hand, sending a small chill up her spine with the contact. He didn't seem to be as affected by the gesture, but then again he was skilled at hiding his emotions when he didn't wish to display them. She gulped, pretended nothing had happened.

"Like this?" She asked, trying it out for herself. She wasn't nearly as at risk to fall as she was before, and got the feeling that she was getting the hang of it.

"Yes, but keep looking forward, otherwise you'll still fall over." He guided her across the ice, turning as the edge of the lake did. The first turn almost sent her face-first into the ice again, but Law kept a firm grip on her hand and elbow.

The moon reflected on the lake, illuminating the sparkling frozen water. It was like a mirror, and she imagined she was skating on the moon itself. The light snowfall made everything seem quiet, and Summer could hear the pounding of her own heart. Or maybe it was Law's? He was rather close to her. Their breaths came out as white clouds in front of them.

They skated laps around the lake, picking up speed with each pass. Her anxiety of falling over slowly melted away, and the fear was replaced with happiness.

She wobbled every once in awhile, but her Captain's hand made her steady once more, and she began to enjoy the way she glided across the ice. It was like she was flying! Her smile returned, which didn't go unnoticed by Law. He looked sideways at her, pleased that she was enjoying herself.

"Can I try to skate by myself?" She asked, and he nodded. Slowly letting go of her hand and allowing her to glide forward without him. She went straight, but she gently angled her body to go right, following the curve of the lakeside.

"It's not as hard as I thought!" She called, feeling her confidence rise, successfully pushing forward without falling. Albeit, her speed wasn't nearly as fast as it was when Law was guiding her, but she was still much faster than before.

Summer was thoroughly enjoying her final Christmas gift.

* * *

She wasn't sure how long she'd been circling the lake, alternating between skating solo and with Law's help-he was an expert skater, attributed to years of practice-but the moon was slowly starting its descent towards the horizon.

"Let's take a break." The Captain suggested, and Summer agreed. Her leg muscles were beginning to tire. They skated to the edge of the lake, and Law stepped off the ice first. Summer followed, nearly falling over as her legs tried to adjust to the firm ground. Looking back, she saw the thin lines their skates had made over the sleek surface.

They walked over to two large stumps nearby. Summer had hung her bag from a tree beside them, and it was then that she remembered Law's gift. But before she could say anything, he took out another box from behind the tree.

"You actually have two gifts." He said, and she took the other one. What was inside made her smirk. She lifted Law's old hat from the box, immediately placing it on her own head.

"Yes!" She exclaimed, reveling in how warm it was. "I've always wanted a hat of my own!" Law only shook his head, smirking. Secretly, he admired how cute she looked wearing it.

"Oh, I almost forgot." She reached over the the bag, taking out the box that contained his present. "This is for you."

Eyebrows raised, he glanced between her and the offered gift, slowly taking it.

"I promise it's not underwear. God." She rolled her eyes. Still slightly suspicious, Law removed the silver ribbon the box was wrapped in, opening the lid. Surprised, he set the lid aside.

He held up the sweater, inspecting his jolly roger emblazoned on the front. With a smirk, he felt the collar and how soft the feathers were. It reminded him of something.

 _'_ _Just like Corazon's jacket…'_ He thought bittersweetly. But how could she have known…

"Where did you get this?" He asked almost reverently, looking to her curiously. She shrugged, a grin tugging at her lips.

"Oh, just a little shop. And how'd you know I wanted to learn how to ice skate anyway?"

"Bepo told me." He admitted, directing his attention back to the jacket. Summer shook her head with a chuckle. She should have known.

He felt the soft fabric, knowing that it would be rather warm when worn. His lack of response to the gift must have made her insecure, because she squirmed in her seat.

"Umm…do you like it?" She asked, fidgeting with her fingers. He chuckled.

"Yes, thank you." He allowed a small bit of his pride to slip through. But only a tiny bit. Setting the sweater back in the box, he replaced the lid and set it to the ground. Rising, he held out his hand, indicating Summer to take it. Curiously, she did, allowing him to pull her forward.

"We should head back to the sub now. It's rather late." He said.

* * *

"We should head back to the sub now. It's rather late."

Her anxiety level instantly rose about a thousand notches, as the one thing she wanted to know rose it's way to her consciousness at that moment. She didn't immediately voice it though. Her courage only rose to prominence after they'd taken off their skates and put on their normal shoes. Forcing herself to speak, she cleared her throat.

"Umm…" She muttered, catching his attention. One brow rose, noticing her shift in mood.

"Something wrong?" He asked, and she closed her eyes.

"No, it's not that." She stood, stepping towards her bag that hung from the tree. Law followed, confused as to what was going on.

"It's just…" She faced away from him, but he noticed she took something out from her jacket pocket. She cradled it in her hands, but he couldn't see what. "I…" She sighed. "God, why is this so embarrassing?" She was getting frustrated with herself at that point.

"What is going on, Summer-ya?" He moved towards her. She faced him, hiding the mistletoe behind her back with both hands. He continued to approach her, and she backed away, her back hitting the tree. He placed both hands on either side of her body, effectively trapping her against the trunk.

"Show me what you have." He ordered. She turned her head away.

"No, it was a stupid idea to begin with." Shaking his head in annoyance, he reached behind her and snatched the thing out of her hand. " Hey!" She tried reaching towards it, but Law held it out of reach.

Inspecting the mistletoe, he smirked, letting it fall out of his hand. It hit the snow with a small tinkling sound. "Is that all?" He questioned in amusement. She puffed out her cheeks, feeling the utter embarrassment eating away at her pride and dignity. His chuckle didn't help her mood either. Placing his hands on either side of her once more, he leaned forward.

"I must admit, that's rather bold of you." He teased. She didn't answer, not giving him the satisfaction of seeing her flustered. "If you want something, Summer-ya, then have the courage to take it." He whispered. She gazed into his eyes, determination rising up to meet the obvious challenge in his voice. She was tired of being the insecure one, the one that was constantly being thrown off guard. And she was tired of his damned smirk. It was always him that dictated the relationship…or whatever this actually was. It was time to mix things up a little.

 _'_ _Oh, what the hell?'_ She shrugged internally. _'It's not like we haven't kissed before. I've got nothing to lose.'_

In the next instant, she wrapped her hands around his neck and placed her lips on his, closing her eyes.

* * *

Law's eyes widened, hands unconsciously snaking around her waist as she pressed her body closer to his. It took a second to realize what was actually going on. He hadn't thought that she'd actually rise up to the challenge, and even if he'd wanted to see her flustered and embarrassed beyond belief, at this point he wasn't complaining about the outcome.

Closing his eyes, he leaned forward, pressing her back against the tree again. He reciprocated, tracing her sides with his fingers. His fingers slipped themselves beneath her jacket, sending trails of fire down her skin through her shirt, contrasting in a pleasurable pain to the frigid air around them.

"Mmm…" She moaned in pleasure, lips still locked with his. His desire rose up, a dull burn in the pit of his chest, and his body pressed deeper into her, pinning her against the tree with a delicious friction they both desired. The fire flared with each small whimper and gasp he tore from her, sending him deeper into the moment than he'd thought possible. Her nails clawed at his back, and even through his jacket he could feel the sting.

They separated, catching their breaths, and Law took the opportunity to target her exposed neck. She gasped, gripping the back of his jacket in fistfuls as he licked and bit the smooth skin there. Tingles ran up her spine, and she relished in the feeling. He made sure to leave a mark, a symbol of his claim. Summer probably wouldn't see it until that night or the next morning, and he was sure he'd get an earful for it, but his desire to mark her was much too strong to care.

Her hands found their way into his hair, knocking his hat to the ground, where her fingers tugged gently at the unruly strands. This produced a low growl of hunger from deep within him, sending goosebumps up and down her sides.

Satisfied that she was essentially putty in his hands, his lips found hers again and he darted his tongue into the kiss. She gave a tiny moan once more, angling her head. She tried fighting for dominance with her own tongue, but Law was clearly the more experienced kisser, easily crushing her resistance. When it came to his desires, he would not back down.

"Law…" She gasped, breaking away from the kiss. Law's mind was hazy, not quite sure why she'd pulled away. They breathed heavily, white puffs accompanying every exhalation. Idly, he realized she'd said his name.

"Yes?" He asked huskily, wanting to continue what they'd started. There was a question in her eyes though, and he focused on her serious expression.

"What exactly…is this?" He looked at her in confusion, and she clarified. "What do we have…between us?" She looked away quickly.

The confusion vanished from his eyes, and he chuckled with a smirk. "What's so funny?" She pouted, cheeks red from embarrassment. The sight was quite adorable, and he gripped her chin, forcing her to look in his eyes.

"You're my woman." And with that, he kissed her with more force than he had before. She gasped in surprise. After a moment of hesitation, she relaxed into him, allowing the Captain to do what he wished with her.

* * *

She supposed that answered her question, though Summer was much too focused on the feelings and emotions her Captain was eliciting from her to really dwell on the implications. Still, there was something she had to do before the end of the night. Holding the snowball she'd secretly stashed in a hole in the tree's trunk before giving Law his gift, she smirked into the kiss, bringing the snowball straight into his face.

"Payback for earlier!" She teased, sticking out her tongue.

The moment effectively ruined, he coughed, backing away to wipe the snow from his face. Smirking devilishly, he narrowed his eyes at her, stooping to gather some snow and his fallen hat. "That was not a wise decision." He growled. Matching his expression, Summer picked up another snowball.

"Bring it on, lover boy." She taunted.

And the second snowball fight of the night commenced.

* * *

A/N- Did you guys honestly think I could end anything with a nice happy sweet ending? XD I'm too sneaky for that!

Anyways, I thoroughly hope you enjoyed the fluff!

Did anyone notice that there was a 12 Days of Christmas reference in each chapter? :) If you did, kudos to you!

This is my Christmas gift to all of you, so have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


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